Xiao Lin moved at an incredible speed. With two bursts of explosive acceleration, he was far faster than agility-type soul masters of the same level.
If Xiao Lin's skill were a teleportation-type move, he might even surpass Soul Elders in terms of speed.
In just a short while, Xiao Lin had carried Tang San and the others several kilometers away from their original location.
Once he was confident they were no longer in danger, Xiao Lin finally put Tang San and Xiao Wu down to let them rest.
As for Xiao Lin himself—like a beast of burden—he wasn't tired at all.
He had barely even expended any soul power.
The Star Dou Great Forest was filled with dangers, so Xiao Lin hadn't yet taken the time to study the new meridians formed by his soul power or the newly-formed dantian (energy core).
But this frantic sprint made him realize just how terrifying that new dantian really was.
Firstly, this new dantian could store double the amount of soul power—excluding the 50% boost from the Titan Bull Demon Horns.
Xiao Lin called it his "backup hidden energy source."
Secondly, regarding soul power attributes—he found that this new dantian, formed from the power of the Coiling Dragon Staff, could seemingly absorb soul power of any attribute. Though he hadn't tested it with others yet.
The soul power from his Thunder Shadow Leopard, which naturally carried lightning properties, was completely accepted by the dantian without any side effects—it adapted perfectly.
Lastly, this new dantian operated automatically, constantly absorbing soul power, circulating and compressing it through his body, and delivering it both to the Coiling Dragon Staff and to himself.
It was like the compressor in an air conditioner, continually sending cooling energy to his original dantian.
With all these advantages, Xiao Lin was naturally pleased. But at the moment, Tang San and Xiao Wu didn't look so happy.
Both of them were panting, crouched slightly on either side of Xiao Lin, their cheeks flushed, muttering things like:
"Brother Lin, you were too fast…"
"What do you mean 'too fast'? I wasn't even running at full speed."
Xiao Lin wasn't really worried about the Titan Giant Ape ambushing a child under seven like him, but still—he was in the Star Dou Great Forest. He wouldn't randomly activate his true spirit form and waste his soul power recklessly.
"That girl just now said the Titan Giant Ape was coming. But how could she have encountered it? This is the outer zone. Didn't the Titan Giant Ape already leave?"
Seeing the two of them lost in thought—Tang San worrying about an attack, and Xiao Wu worrying about someone attacking the Titan Giant Ape—Xiao Lin decided to change the subject to distract them.
"That was a girl?" Tang San frowned slightly.
"Brother Lin, she looked like she was fifteen or sixteen years old. But considering how soul masters physically mature after absorbing soul rings, and judging by her appearance, I'd guess she was more like twelve or thirteen. So she was probably here to get her second or third soul ring."
Tang San reasoned this out, then frowned again.
If that girl really was after her third soul ring, how could she possibly encounter the Titan Giant Ape in the outer zone?
Given the Titan Giant Ape's title as King of the Forest, it was already rare enough for it to appear in the mixed zone—seeing it in the outer zone was virtually impossible.
"You're right, San. That girl wasn't simple. You should've noticed—she was alone."
Xiao Lin nodded. Though he didn't recognize her, he shared his thoughts.
"You've seen our combat strength. We can each take on a Soul Master, even a Soul Elder. That's the only reason we dared to explore the edges of the mixed zone."
As he spoke, Tang San and Xiao Wu glanced at Xiao Lin's bamboo armor and the hidden sleeve darts under his sleeves.
"Brother Lin's right. That girl ran pretty slowly, so she wasn't an agility-type. Judging from her build, she didn't seem like a power-type or defense-type either."
"So she's probably a control or support-type soul master," Xiao Wu chimed in.
Because this might involve Er Ming (the Titan Giant Ape), Xiao Wu's mind started racing too, forming a string of logical conclusions.
"So she must have companions."
Xiao Wu furrowed her brow, her expression serious. Both Tang San and Xiao Lin were intrigued to see her thinking this deeply.
"Also, if she was only after her second ring, that's nothing special. But if it was her third, she's a top-tier genius."
"A genius like that would definitely have a powerful guardian—at least a Soul Emperor, possibly even a Titled Douluo."
Tang San and Xiao Lin continued analyzing, bouncing theories off each other.
"Her clothes were also very extravagant, with gold trim," Xiao Lin recalled.
That kind of clothing clearly marked her as someone of wealth and status.
After Xiao Lin said this, Tang San and Xiao Wu both fell silent.
Even the rich guy Wang Fugui they'd seen before didn't look that well-dressed or noble.
"Forget it. Why are we so hung up on her? Right now, let's just find some Puffy Cotton for Tang San and get out of here," Xiao Lin said.
Seeing them go quiet, and knowing they weren't greedy for wealth or power, he urged them to resume the search for a suitable soul beast for Tang San.
Tang San remained silent, forming a three-man search team again. But inside, he was thinking:
Even a Titled Douluo would struggle to handle the Titan Giant Ape. What if that girl's family or teacher already died?
Looking at the two beside him—his good brother and his… good "sister"—he realized he needed the strength to protect them.
He had to create even stronger hidden weapons.
Even if it slowed his leveling, it was worth it. Without them, they'd be helpless against powerful soul beasts like the Titan Giant Ape.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu was thinking: there hadn't been any loud sounds just now. With Er Ming's destructive power, she should've heard something.
So she calmed down a bit, becoming carefree and cheerful again.
This time, though, Xiao Wu even came up with a cover story: she would say the Titan Giant Ape's sudden appearance made her feel pressured, which pushed her to a breakthrough.
So when Tang San finished absorbing his soul ring, she just happened to break through.
Pleased with her cleverness, Xiao Wu pretended to look deep in thought on the surface.
Xiao Lin felt like something was off with the group's mood… and he couldn't help but want to laugh.
Elsewhere…
On the battlefield where the Titan Giant Ape confronted Chrysanthemum Douluo (Yue Guan):
"King of the Forest! I only brought the Holy Maiden here to get her soul ring. Are you trying to make an enemy of Spirit Hall? Do you want the Star Dou Great Forest to be razed to the ground?!"
Yue Guan was gravely wounded. His red ceremonial robes were torn beyond recognition, and he didn't even have the energy to make his usual graceful gestures. He could only threaten the Titan Giant Ape using Spirit Hall's name.
"You're Spirit Hall? You're the ones who killed Sister Xiao Wu's mother. I'm going to take revenge!"
Of course, the Titan Giant Ape had no fear of Spirit Hall. Now that he knew who had killed Xiao Wu's mother, he wasn't going to let Chrysanthemum Douluo off.
"Damn it! If only Ghost Douluo were here…"
"Ninth Soul Skill: Fallen Chrysanthemums, Wounds Everywhere, Heartbreak Amid Falling Petals!"
In the next instant, Yue Guan's Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum spirit shattered, transforming into countless dazzling golden petals that spun violently in place, forming a massive tornado blade.
Yue Guan didn't expect to defeat the Titan Giant Ape. He used his ninth soul skill just to block the attack and escape.
"Gravity Domain!"
In an instant, the golden tornado of petals was crushed by immense gravity.
They fell to the ground like a golden cloak draped across the land.
At that moment, Chrysanthemum Douluo had already escaped several kilometers, coughing up blood—on the verge of death.