Chapter 13: Second Soul Skill, Bewitching Paradise

“I know that your current strength is the result of much sacrifice from your clan, but that should not become your burden.”

“Isn’t everyone’s dream to cultivate stronger clansmen, so that the entire species can reach a level where no spirit beast dares to bully them?”

“Besides, does your departure truly impact the whole tribe so greatly? Given your species’ reproductive capacity, in a few decades, there will likely be others with strength equal to yours.”

“Buzz…”

As Jiang Beibei finished speaking, the Pink Lady, who had been hesitating moments before, seemed deeply struck at her core.

What it feared most was the rise of a clansman, for in the Pink Lady’s tribe, there could only be one ruler.

But if it continued suppressing the growth of its kin, the tribe’s overall strength would never break through qualitatively. Once faced with an opponent it could not match, collapse would come in an instant.

Seeing her persuasion begin to take effect, Jiang Beibei immediately pressed her advantage, increasing the intensity of her mental influence.

“Look, before Xiaobai followed me, its strength hadn’t even reached a thousand years. Just because we became partners, it surpassed that threshold. How much effort did it take you to break through back then?”

There was no better example for “surrendering” than Fengling Fox Xiaobai.

Ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years—each barrier could imprison a spirit beast for a lifetime.

Hearing that such a breakthrough could be achieved so easily, the Pink Lady was thoroughly swayed. She glanced at those “unworthy” clansmen and made up her mind.

“Trust me. Though you seem to have lost your body now, as long as your soul remains, I have a way to forge an even stronger flesh and blood for you!”

This was no longer mere persuasion. Jiang Beibei knew that even in the fantasy-drained world of Douluo Continent, there existed rare treasures capable of reconstructing the body.

Even if she couldn’t steal them from the destined child Tang San, at worst, she would ascend the path of godhood and harness divine powers.

With every last worry erased, what hesitation could the Pink Lady have?

“Buzz~!”

She emitted one final, resonant hum, resolutely transforming into a pillar of pink light, just as Fengling Fox had done yesterday, piercing into Jiang Beibei’s brow.

“Beibei!”

Liu Erlong, who had been closely watching the battlefield, suddenly caught sight of this and thought it was the Pink Lady’s fury striking back.

But as she drew near, she could no longer sense the faintest trace of the creature’s presence. The worried words on her lips were swallowed whole.

“A 3300-year spirit ring… Beibei, you must hang on!”

Even with the sacrifice of Fengling Fox the day before, she remained deeply concerned for her daughter’s safety.

Every thousand years of growth in a spirit beast’s strength is a significant leap; strength is never a mere sum of its parts.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so conflicted at first about whether Beibei should absorb this spirit ring.

Her anxious emotions caused her to momentarily forget one fact: the Pink Lady was captured by Jiang Beibei herself!

“From now on, you’ll be called Little Pink. Trust me, your future self will be immensely grateful for the wise choice you made this moment.”

Immersed in her spiritual world, Jiang Beibei solemnly vowed to her new companion.

“Buzz!”

“Wuhu~!”

The Pink Lady’s soul form circled her several times. Whether it was happiness over having a name or joy at escaping the clan’s cage, no one could tell.

Nearby, Fengling Fox Xiaobai, seeing its friend so delighted, barked and cheered in its own playful way, causing Jiang Beibei to smile wryly and rub her forehead.

“What kind of treasure have I picked up? Was your past life that of a husky?”

Having fully let go of her grudges, the Pink Lady began the normal “process.”

A ring of purple spirit energy gradually formed around Jiang Beibei’s body, shining in harmony with Xiaobai’s spirit ring.

The two spirit rings rose and fell in turn, and any discerning eye could see their close connection.

“So fast?”

Jiang Beibei’s absorption of the second spirit ring was even quicker than the first. In just ten minutes, she opened her eyes again.

Liu Erlong, who had been protecting her, had been shocked by so much today that she was now almost immune to surprises.

“Mom, Beibei is now a level 25 Grand Spirit Master! She’ll receive ten gold spirit coins every month! Hehe, Beibei’s so happy!”

“You little money-grubber! Tell your mother, what’s your second spirit skill?”

Hearing that the first thing Beibei did upon opening her eyes was not to celebrate her power increase, but to think about earning more money, Liu Erlong felt both amused and heartbroken.

Only children who have suffered hardships truly cherish hard-earned money, a sentiment that noble heirs could never understand.

Who would have thought that just days ago, this was a wounded child she had taken in, and now, in such a short time, she had grown into a level 25 Grand Spirit Master?

Such a rapid rise in strength would make those elders responsible for registration in the Martial Spirit Hall suspect she was on drugs.

“Mom, Little Pink’s second spirit skill is called Enchanted Paradise. Its effect is to trigger the deepest desires in an enemy’s heart, amplifying them infinitely, causing the person to lose themselves completely in those desires, losing all reason.”

Jiang Beibei explained the skill as simply as possible for Liu Erlong to understand, though she herself found the power terrifying.

All living beings are bound by the seven emotions and six desires.

Applied to humans, the phrase “wine, women, wealth, and anger” best captures it.

Wine is like a poison coursing through the intestines, undermining the enemy’s will until they lose the will to live without realizing it.

Lust is like a bone-cutting steel blade; desire is a vital need for survival, but excessive passion wounds the heart, and intense craving harms the body. Controlling these two desires is no different from slashing an enemy apart with a razor-sharp blade.

As for the other aspects—wealth and anger—Jiang Beibei did not yet fully understand or control them. She would have to unlock them as her strength and experience grew.

“Losing reason, completely losing oneself?”

Hearing the skill’s effect, Liu Erlong swallowed nervously.

She had thought about mental spirit skills destroying an enemy’s mind, but this was the first time she had such a clear understanding of how it worked.

“Beibei probably doesn’t yet realize how terrifying this skill is. Looks like I’ll have to keep a close eye on her from now on.”

Watching her innocent and obedient daughter, Liu Erlong silently warned herself.

As an elder who had lived decades longer, she understood some truths far better than a child.

What makes humans human is the presence of thought beyond mere instinct. If reason is utterly destroyed, what distinguishes them from instinct-driven spirit beasts? Can they still be called human?

“Beibei, we’ve achieved our goal this time. No rest today; let’s head back early and check on your little friends.”

“Okay!”

Now that Beibei had successfully gained two spirit rings, their mission was accomplished. Liu Erlong did not let her run alone on the way back to the academy.