"Xiao… Wu…"
Tang San's lips trembled as he stared at Xiao Wu standing beside Zhu Zhuqing. Uncontainable joy flashed in his eyes.
"Third Brother!"
Xiao Wu gazed back at him, a flicker of happiness in her own eyes.
As Tang San rushed toward her, Xiao Wu took a step forward to meet him.
Tang San spread his arms wide, ready to pull her into an embrace.
But just as he drew near, Xiao Wu remembered her relationship with Ah Yin—the fierce battle they'd shared the night before, the child now growing in her womb—and instinct screamed that this was wrong. She froze mid-step.
Tang San halted, arms still outstretched. After a beat, he convinced himself she was avoiding public affection and nodded in forced understanding.
Yet as Xiao Wu looked at him, she felt an unfamiliar distance between them.
The moment she hesitated to embrace him, she'd already made her choice. She knew she and Tang San were impossible now.
His reaction confirmed it: he'd always loved her as more than a sister.
Good, she thought. This will make him understand.
She was Ah Yin's woman now.
"Xiao Wu, I'm so glad you're safe," Tang San said, voice thick. "I've been worried sick. I missed you so much."
He paused, confusion knitting his brow. "But why are you with Dean Erlong, Mom, and Big Brother?"
Ma Hongjun and Oscar echoed, "Yeah, Xiao Wu! Didn't you say you were going home? How'd you end up with Teacher A'yin and Dean Erlong?"
Xiao Wu glanced at Ah Yin, unsure how to answer.
Ah Yin stepped forward smoothly. "We just got back. Can this wait?"
Tang San caught his brother's gaze and remembered Xiao Wu's true identity as a spirit beast. Right—secrecy matters. "Xiao Wu, Mom, Dean Erlong—we're staying at this hotel. Let's head inside to meet the others first."
"Agreed."
As they entered, Flender and Yu Xiaogang hurried out, relieved to see Liu Erlong unharmed. Yu Xiaogang immediately pressed for details.
Ah Yin offered a streamlined version: separated by a spirit beast stampede, stumbled upon Xiao Wu, secured their spirit rings.
Though Yu Xiaogan sensed gaps in the story, he didn't pry.
"Zhuqing, Ah Yin mentioned you broke through to Spirit Ancestor?" Yu Xiaogang turned to Zhu Zhuqing, skepticism in his tone.
Dai Mubai, Tang San, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun stared at her, stunned. Zhu Zhuqing had once been the weakest of the Seven Devils—how could she now be a four-ringed Spirit Ancestor?
Zhu Zhuqing nodded coolly. "The spirit beast horde forced intense combat. I broke through to the fortieth rank during the chaos. Later, I found a suitable ring. I'm now a four-ringed Spirit Ancestor."
"Impossible!" Dai Mubai snapped, unwilling to accept that his "betrayer" of a fiancée could surpass him.
Zhu Zhuqing ignored him.
Yu Xiaogang's voice turned stern. "Zhuqing, what fourth ring did you absorb? I've emphasized how critical this ring is for a spirit master's future. Rash choices could cripple your potential—"
Zhu Zhuqing cut him off. "It's a ten-thousand-year ring. Perfect for me."
"A ten-thousand-year ring? Good, but—" Yu Xiaogang froze mid-nod. "Ten-thousand-year? Are you joking?"
Dai Mubai sneered. "Ten-thousand-year? You've got guts lying like that! Everyone knows Master's theory states the fifth ring's limit is five thousand years. If you absorbed a ten-thousand-year fourth ring, his entire theory is bullshit!"
Dai Mubai's crude phrasing went unchallenged—even Yu Xiaogang privately agreed. If Zhu Zhuqing's claim were true, his life's work was garbage.
Zhu Zhuqing swept her gaze over Tang San, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, Zhao Wuji, Flender, and Yu Xiaogang. "You all doubt me?"
"It's not doubt—it's impossible," Zhao Wuji grunted. Flender nodded. They trusted Yu Xiaogang's theory absolutely.
Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Tang San shared the same disbelief.
Without another word, Zhu Zhuqing released her spirit rings.
Yellow, yellow, purple—the first three drew no reaction.
Then came the fourth.
Black.
Silence.
The air itself seemed to slap every doubter across the face.
Yu Xiaogang stared at the black ring, rubbed his eyes raw, but the darkness remained. His face paled like curdled milk.
Zhao Wuji and Flender gaped as if seeing a ghost.
Dai Mubai's expression turned ashen.
As Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her rings, she locked eyes with Yu Xiaogang. "Well, Master? Is your theory still correct?"
Yu Xiaogang's mouth opened, but only a strangled croak emerged—his face the color of rotting shit.