They had only stepped away for three or four minutes—so why did it feel like they'd been gone much longer?
Could this be… the handiwork of that lord?
Yue Guan shot a glance at Gui Mei. The bewilderment in both their eyes was impossible to hide.
"Did Sister Zhuzhu's spirit mutate?" Yu Keke gasped in astonishment. "No wonder she looked like she was in pain."
"It definitely changed," Gui Mei said solemnly, eyes fixed on the phantom behind Zhu Zhuqing. "But whether a mutation is good or bad depends entirely on fate…"
Behind Zhu Zhuqing, her Nether Cat spirit was now wrapped in a shimmering green light, its form hazy and indistinct.
Spirit mutations were exceedingly rare—and always unpredictable.
They could elevate a spirit to new heights, granting it powerful abilities and traits… or cripple it entirely, introducing uncontrollable flaws and weaknesses.
"I can feel it—her spirit's pressure is much stronger than before. This must be a positive mutation," Yue Guan noted, though he didn't dare look away.
Buzz—
A deep hum resonated through the air, soul power vibrating in harmony with space itself. The glowing green light vanished—along with the Nether Cat.
Zhu Zhuqing's aura gradually calmed, reabsorbing into her body.
"Your Excellency! I think my spirit really did become stronger!" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes snapped open as she stood up, unable to contain the excitement brimming in her voice.
She stretched out her hand eagerly. Floating above her palm was a translucent shadow. It resembled a cat, yet its form was etched with mysterious markings, shifting between presence and absence.
"A top-tier spirit?" Yue Guan and Gui Mei exclaimed in unison, eyes wide with disbelief.
A spirit mutation alone was already once-in-a-lifetime. A positive mutation? That was a miracle.
And it had just happened before their very eyes.
"Wow! A top-tier spirit… it must be amazing!" Paimon clenched her tiny fists, bouncing with excitement.
She couldn't sense its power herself, but judging by how that Sister Yue and the scary black-robed guy reacted, it had to be awesome!
"Mhm! Sister Zhuqing, you're amazing!" Yu Keke clapped cheerfully.
"Congratulations! What's it called now?" Aether asked with a calm smile, as if he had already foreseen this outcome. Elemental energy could indeed trigger such mutations—he had taken that gamble for a reason.
If all had gone well, Zhu Zhuqing should have no trouble absorbing the ten-thousand-year spirit ring now.
"Your Excellency… It's called the Shadow Cat of Time and Space," Zhu Zhuqing murmured, gazing at the illusory feline spirit with sparkling eyes.
"Nice name." Aether nodded in approval. "The Ghost Tiger's already been secured for you. Go ahead and try absorbing it. If anything goes wrong, just call me."
He didn't ask any further.
A soul master's spirit was their deepest secret, rarely ever fully revealed to others. Not only to keep enemies guessing, but also for self-preservation.
An enemy who thoroughly studied your spirit's properties might devise an exact counter—leading to disastrous consequences.
Spirit names, however, usually hinted at their core nature. Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—names that told you a lot.
And from Shadow Cat of Time and Space, it was obvious: this spirit now held the power of space.
How powerful it was exactly—that remained the true mystery, and the greatest deterrent to enemies.
"Yes!" Zhu Zhuqing's voice was firm. The way she looked at Aether was filled with gratitude, her starry eyes brimming with light.
Only she knew how much her spirit—and her body—had grown since absorbing that strange energy.
Especially her spirit. It had evolved to a level beyond even her wildest dreams.
Even without a spirit ring, it now possessed an absurd innate ability: space-time interference, and even short-range spatial teleportation.
Of course, how effective this power was depended on the user's spirit power level.
At her current stage, she could only briefly distort space—not teleport.
Still, even brief distortions could throw off enemy attacks in battle, turning danger into opportunity.
As for teleportation—Zhu Zhuqing could sense it was more akin to phasing into another dimension, then reappearing elsewhere. A far cry from simple blink or flash-step techniques.
Those only shifted you within the same plane. If an attack was fast enough, it could still track and hit you.
But true spatial transmission—that was slipping into another dimension entirely. Untargetable. Untouchable.
No matter how fast the enemy was, attacks became meaningless if she was in another plane.
Unless, of course, someone could shatter space itself—but that kind of destructive power only existed at the level of Titled Douluo or above.
Which meant: once her soul power increased, she'd gain a near-invincible life-saving ability.
She was burning to test her new strength—but now wasn't the time.
Her fourth spirit ring awaited.
"Thank you, Your Excellencies," she said respectfully to Yue Guan and Gui Mei, bowing toward them.
The two nodded and stepped back, quietly taking up sentry positions.
When a soul master absorbed a spirit ring, maintaining security was paramount. They knew this all too well.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't hesitate. She approached the Ghost Tiger, pulled out a dagger, and struck its throat with precision.
Why a dagger?
Well, it was simple. That was its weak point.
The Ghost Tiger let out one final breath before collapsing. A black spirit ring rose from its body, radiating violent waves of energy.
"A black ring…" Zhu Zhuqing whispered.
She stared at the ring pulsing with surging power—but felt no fear.
Not just because of her mutated spirit, but because of one thing Aether had said—words that made her feel utterly safe.
As long as he was here… nothing felt dangerous.
The ring's ferocity gradually faded.
Zhu Zhuqing sat down cross-legged, activated her spirit, and began channeling her power—slowly drawing the black ring toward her.
"My lord… is it really alright for her to absorb a ten-thousand-year ring as her fourth?" Yue Guan couldn't help but ask, voice tight with concern.
A black fourth ring? Even in ancient Spirit Hall records, nothing like this existed!
"It's fine. She'll be successful," Aether replied calmly, eyes resting on the determined young woman.
In his heart, there wasn't a sliver of doubt.
_
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