The group of people blocking Xiang Shaoyun's path were the members of Thousand Forest Academy. They were led by a young man of about 20 years old with a charming smile on his handsome face. Dressed gorgeously with a folding fan in his hand, his entire person emanated grace and elegance.
This person was none other than Lin Zihan the Playboy, a genius comparable to the likes of Zi Jingyun the Lightning Kid and Han Chen the Blackfrost Spear. He was flanked on both sides by two exceptionally beautiful women—a sight worthy of his title, the Playboy.
"Be at ease, Brother Xiang. The Thousand Forest Academy has always been friendly with the Cloud Pavilion. I, Lin Zihan, will naturally not cross the line I shouldn’t cross," said Lin Zihan with a warm smile.
"Good to hear. Bye," Xiang Shaoyun cupped his hands and excused himself.
"Please wait a moment, Brother Xiang. You are just leaving the ghostrune territory. I wonder if you had found any soul springs? If you have some in your possession, may I propose a trade?" asked Lin Zihan.
"I don't have enough for myself," said Xiang Shaoyun indifferently.
"What is that attitude? Our Junior Brother Lin is speaking politely, yet you do not seem to appreciate it at all," said a woman beside Lin Zihan coldly.
"What makes you think so?" Xiang Shaoyun frowned.
"Since my Junior Brother Lin wants your soul spring, just hand it over," demanded the woman.
Lin Zihan cut her off. "Senior Sister Yan, don't speak nonsense. Since Brother Xiang does not have any extra soul springs, forget it."
"But getting a soul spring is vital for your breakthrough," said the woman with indignation.
"Haha, it's not like I won't be able to enter the Skysoar Realm without a soul spring. With my talent, I, Lin Zihan, won't have any problem entering the Skysoar Realm!" declared Lin Zihan confidently.
"I know, and I trust you. But a soul spring can greatly increase your speed. Let me get it for you!" said the woman.
She then walked toward Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Just offer a price. How many spirit crystals do you want? Or do you want any other treasures for it? Just name your price. I, Yan Yan, will not take no for an answer!"
"Senior Sister Yan, come back!" Lin Zihan called out.
But the other woman beside him smiled and said, "Just let Senior Sister Yan get it for you. You are still too kind."
That caused Lin Zihan to hesitate.
Xiang Shaoyun shot Yan Yan an indifferent gaze and said, "I told you. I don't have any extra soul springs."
"Even if you only have one, that is enough. Take it out. We need it, and I am willing to buy it off you for 10,000 mid-grade spirit crystals. That is a fair price," said Yan Yan with an overbearing tone.
"Hehe, since it's such a fair price, you should buy it somewhere else instead. I have no need for spirit crystals. Alright, I'm leaving. Get out of my way," said Xiang Shaoyun with a sneer.
Yan Yan drew her sword and pointed it at Xiang Shaoyun before bellowing, “Are you really going to force my hand? Do you want me to kill you where you stand?"
But the moment she pointed her sword at Xiang Shaoyun, he flickered and dashed toward her at a speed too fast for her to react.
"Senior Sister Yan, watch out!" Lin Zihan's hairs stood on end as he cried out in alarm.
Unfortunately, his warning came too late. Xiang Shaoyun instantly grabbed Yan Yan's wrist before snatching her sword and pointing it at her neck.
"You want to rob me? I, Xiang Shaoyun, am not afraid of anyone!" said Xiang Shaoyun coldly.
Yan Yan couldn't even react; the sword was already pointed at her neck. Panic and indignation covered her face as she said, "J-just kill me if you dare!"
"You think I don't dare to kill you?" Xiang Shaoyun sneered. As he spoke, he applied some force with the sword. Only a tiny bit more force was required, and Yan Yan would be dead.
"Brother Xiang, please calm down. This is a misunderstanding. Let me apologize to you on behalf of my Senior Sister Yan. Let's forget about this," said Lin Zihan with a sincere tone.
Xiang Shaoyun couldn't really be bothered to hold a grudge against her, so he dropped the sword and walked away, ignoring Lin Zihan's group.
"Brother Xiang, the Myriad Sword Sect and Devil Blood Society are both looking for you. I heard they are waiting for you at the exit. Do watch out for them," Lin Zihan still couldn't help tipping off Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun nodded and continued walking away.
After Xiang Shaoyun left, Yan Yan complained resentfully, "Junior Brother Lin, why did you give up on such a good chance to get a soul spring? If we worked together, we could definitely beat him!"
Lin Zihan waved his hand and said, "No. Even if we all attacked together, we still wouldn't be his match."
"Senior Brother Lin, why are you lowering yourself to praise others? This is not your style," said the other woman beside him.
"That's right. With your strength as a War King, you can definitely match him. With our help, it won't be hard to take him down," said Yan Yan in agreement.
Lin Zihan replied in a grave tone, "I haven’t been able to see through this Xiang Shaoyun at all. Back then, when he defeated Lightning Kid and killed the Four Divinity Swords, I still had some confidence that I could fight him alone. But now, I have no confidence at all."
"Has he grown stronger? Even so, he will still be in the Transformation Realm. It is impossible for a human to become a King here," said the woman doubtfully.
"Yes, he is still in the Transformation Realm, and his cultivation level is still slightly lower than mine. But when he had defeated Lightning Kid and the Four Divinity Swords, he was still at the eighth stage of the Transformation Realm. Now, he is already at the ninth stage, whereas I'm at the peak Transformation Realm. Even with a higher cultivation level, I am definitely not his match, even with your help. We will only make ourselves a powerful enemy for no reason. Just from how easily he had snatched Senior Sister Yan's sword, that much is clear," said Lin Zihan.
The two women blanked out. They had been assuming that Xiang Shaoyun was a peak Transformation Realm cultivator all this while. But it turned out he was only at the eighth stage before this and had just reached the ninth stage.
If he was a War King while at eighth-stage Transformation Realm, he was most likely a Super War King now that he had reached the ninth stage. The three of them were definitely not enough to deal with a Super War King, and there was even a possibility that all of them would perish.
"Junior Brother Lin, let's continue exploring, then. We will definitely get a soul spring for you," said Yan Yan.
Lin Zihan waved his hand and said, "There is no need to keep going. I doubt we can find any. Let's just leave."
He then led the group away. He had decided to leave because he was confident Xiang Shaoyun was the key for him to get a soul spring. He did not believe that Xiang Shaoyun only had one strand of soul spring, and he had a feeling that befriending Xiang Shaoyun would be beneficial to him.