"Yes, I did give some to her…" Leo said, utterly defeated. Brant was peeling him apart layer by layer, unravelling him down to the core, and Leo couldn't even deny the truth anymore. Somewhere along the way, both Brant and Lu had instinctively begun releasing their aura at a higher degree—heavy and oppressive like starving beasts circling prey.

Not hungry for flesh.

Hungry for information.

This time, Lu spoke.

"What was your girl's soul rank before consuming the treasure?"

At the mention of Lily, Leo's demeanour shifted instantly. His shoulders stiffened, his gaze sharpening. He would do anything but put her in danger. What if having a super-rare soul put a target on her back?

Seeing the change, Brant let out a quiet sigh. He drew his aura back in, the pressure easing, and reached out to suppress Lu's as well.

"Don't misunderstand us, kid," Brant said calmly. "We're not trying to harm you through this information. It's something we need to know if we're to help you. And don't forget—humanity is already gasping on its last breath. We need as many 'good' talents as possible to revive it."

He deliberately stressed the word good.

Leo weighed his words carefully. The tension lingered in the air, but he found no malice in them. Even his beasts remained calm—normally, in moments like this, their instincts would have been screaming.

"She had a rare soul when she was checked," Leo finally said.

Lu and Brant exchanged a look, their minds clearly racing through calculations. Then their expressions lit up.

Brant burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! Good, good!" he said heartily, slapping his thigh with enough force to echo.

"That means there's still some chance left. Listen, you brat—if anything happens to her, I will come looking for you myself. Keep her safe at all costs. You hear me?"

Leo was baffled.

What in the world?

"Chance for what?" he asked, bewildered. "And of course I'll keep her safe. Nothing is more precious to me than her."

This time, Lu answered.

"You said she had a rare soul before, right?"

"Yes?"

"Then listen carefully," Lu said, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

"A rare soul can only harbour talents up to 7 stars. Even if the talent itself has higher potential, it'll stay capped at 7 until the soul ranks up. Now tell me—what was her talent rank again?"

"8 stars…" Leo said—and then it hit him. His eyes widened.

"You realised it, didn't you?" Lu continued. "Her soul must have ranked up after consuming the treasure, allowing the talent to advance. And if her soul is super-rare now—which can only support up to eight-star talents—then there's a real possibility she possesses a nine-star… or even a ten-star talent. The Elven Empress has the same talent as hers, and she has a 9-star one, so your girl is great news for humans."

He paused, then added casually, "Same goes for you, too. Soul-related talents usually start at eight stars, though there are exceptions. You two have bright futures—I can vouch for that. And finally, when you both make a child, he or she might surpass you bo—KUH!"

Lu staggered back, clutching his ribs with his intact hand.

Brant had jabbed him sharply to shut him up.

Lu shot him a hateful glare, but in his current condition, retaliation wasn't an option.

"Let's stop the unnecessary talk," Brant said dryly. "But tell me—what was the description of the treasure you consumed? There's another old bone like us who's obsessed with soul-related matters. Treasures that increase soul rank are absurdly rare. And one that raises it an entire rank—from rare to super-rare?" He shook his head. "That's unheard of. You were absurdly lucky."

"Ah… yes," Leo replied, looking between the two eccentric old men—who somehow felt like both comrades and lifelong rivals at the same time.

Will he faint if I tell him I have the treasure plant itself? And that I can literally harvest three of the same kind every month? Leo pondered for a while—then firmly decided against it.

Instead, he recalled the Elasian Bloom's appearance in detail. Brant listened carefully, his expression growing increasingly serious. Before long, Lu's mana had recovered enough, they gave Leo a set of new clothes and then headed off into the distance, preparing to have their bodies purified.

It was only then that Leo looked down at the ground.

They had bled buckets.

And yet, somehow, neither of them seemed fazed.

"Does having higher vitality increase the amount of RBCs produced instantly when there's a deficiency?" Leo muttered.

He recalled his own experience after consuming the Elasian Bloom petal. The hollow emptiness from blood loss had vanished rapidly, and even while bleeding, he hadn't felt the usual signs of fluid depletion.

"Does he induce haemophilia in the DNA structure for that to happen? Haha." He mused on the thought that such a condition could apply to such a fantasy world too.

Then, realising he laughed at such a rare and dangerous life-taking disease, he cursed.

"Fuck," Leo muttered. "Am I becoming crazy like those old fogies?"

He cleaned himself with some water he kept in the Spiritual space and changed into a new set of clothes professors provided. From the fabric and stitch, he could tell they were high-quality. He put the Metal ore vein in his Spiritual space and finally headed on Howl's back.

"Wait... Howl, shouldn't you too have metal ores on you?" And as he thought, Howl indeed had some, though a smaller quantity than the other one, but still significant, nearly 3 tonnes.

"Hiding things from me? Don't do that again, or else I am taking Titanbreath Lotus from you." Hearing Leo, Howl gave a low roar, almost panicked. Of course, Leo would do no such thing; he was just saying it.

With a single intent, he sent all the beasts into spiritual space. He forgot he was on Howl's back, as he fell nearly 100 meters down, landing on his feet with a thud.

He peered into his spiritual space to see that Howl was another island on itself, floating beside the two already formed islands. Leo chuckled as he saw that he looked almost like a baby with all his 6 legs curled up and eyes closed.

He came out from there and looked towards the sun on the horizon; it was almost night.

His stomach growled.

"It's finally time... Lily, I am coming for real this time!" He said, bolting towards the city.

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