This realization silenced even the one who spoke.

The more they thought about it, the more frustrated they became.

These people were among the two teams out of the three that Qin Ruqing had frightened away.

There were four of them in total.

It wasn’t that they wanted to be “little fish” (they didn’t have the strength to make a difference anyway), but in their haste to leave, they forgot to reclaim the formation…

“That thing is worth a fortune! I can only wait here in tears.”

The person lying silently on the branch sighed, “It seems like they’ve stopped. Are they evenly matched?”

The self-proclaimed body cultivator, who had been watching the entire battle, replied carefully, “Indeed, they’re not at a disadvantage.”

Not at a disadvantage meant that in the direct melee combat, the Foundation Building stage demonic beast didn’t gain any advantage, but overall, the demonic beast was still stronger by a margin.

But no one underestimated Qin Ruqing because of this.

On the contrary, they became even more wary of her because she hadn’t used a single spell yet!

“Is she going to use that…?” One of the four, who was a secret fan of Qin Ruqing, asked excitedly.

He imitated Qin Ruqing’s hand signs but almost twisted his hands due to the complexity. “Then she says ‘explode!’ Super cool!”

The others: … Don’t be ridiculous.

Someone couldn’t help but tease, “When Fairy Ruqing uses that spell, it’s mysterious and unpredictable. When you use it, you look like an idiot.”

Before the person could defend themselves, a thunderous “bang” erupted from the front.

The towering ancient trees reacted to the explosion by collapsing, and a massive tree happened to fall in their direction, causing the four to flee in a panic.

Glancing back, they saw that the demonic beast, which had barely been restrained by their combined formation, was now a bloody mess, motionless.

“She’s indeed a spell cultivator…”

Was that really a question that needed such a sigh?

The others were speechless.

Meanwhile, Qin Ruqing had already assessed her strength.

Knowing that someone couldn’t stay put during the second round of exams, how could she remain indifferent and unprepared?

Not to mention, she had refined and absorbed that fist-sized soul source stone, just in time for the second round to begin.

As for how much her soul had grown after absorbing it, Qin Ruqing wasn’t sure.

The soul was even more mysterious than spiritual sense, usually something considered after reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

So, Qin Ruqing had absorbed a top-grade soul source stone, which was entirely a gain.

However, she wasn’t sure how much it would change her strength—except for the most direct effect, which brought her from the mid Foundation Establishment stage to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Just like the rise of water lifting a boat, Qin Ruqing found that her cultivation level increased effortlessly after refining that piece of Soul Source Stone.

Her reaction was calm, as she had been quietly hoping it might help improve her Dao Physique or advance her cultivation, but so far, she hadn’t seen any noticeable effects in that regard.

Through actual combat, Qin Ruqing discovered that fighting Foundation Establishment monsters was even easier than she had expected.

It seemed that improving one’s soul could enhance intuition and slightly boost all physical attributes.

Though the changes in attributes might seem small, they could accumulate over time…

With this realization, Qin Ruqing reassessed the importance of the soul.

It seemed that in later stages, it would be extremely useful!

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a cultivation stage like Transformation, which allows one to be called a “Venerable.”

Generally, if a family has a Transformation Venerable, they are eligible to attempt breaking into the Golden Tier.

The first prize in this competition is a thousand strands of divine silk.

Qin Ruqing had managed to grab a bundle from the small floating island.

With two bundles of divine silk, it should bring a qualitative change to her soul!

Qin Ruqing decided that after the Hundred Clans Conference, she would focus on comprehensive cultivation.

She planned to refine her soul with the divine silk and find ways to improve her Dao Physique, possibly by gathering more resources from two celestial families to see if she could find methods for further advancement.

If she didn’t seriously refine her skills and perfect her techniques, she might not measure up to the “recommended” seeds in the Ruins.

After dealing with the monster, Qin Ruqing stood there deep in thought.

Qi Rong, noticing something seemed off, hesitantly asked, “Sister?”

Qin Ruqing snapped out of her thoughts, “Nothing, I was just thinking about something.”

She then scanned a direction with her spiritual sense, suddenly smiled, and gestured, “Follow me.”

With Qi Rong in tow, they flew a short distance and then descended from the sky, startling the four people who had been watching and making them fall to the ground.

One of them, trembling, said, “Qin Ruqing, we didn’t mean to ambush you. It’s just that the formation wasn’t reclaimed…”

“Oh, you remember the formation? I thought you were just trying to be extravagant,” Qin Ruqing replied with a hint of amusement.

Qin Ruqing smiled kindly, “Don’t be afraid, I already said I won’t take your jade slips.”

The man asked, “Then, can I leave?”

“Sure,” Qin Ruqing chuckled, “You can leave, and you can even take back your formation. But I need you to do something for me.”

Help with something?

This sounded good.

As long as she didn’t want the jade slips, they wouldn’t be eliminated.

The man, obsequiously cupping his hands, said, “Fairy Ruqing, feel free to ask. Though our strength is meager, we are willing to serve you…”

Qin Ruqing interrupted him, “No need for flattery. The task is simple: provide me with information on high-level demonic beasts in the dense forest. The beasts should be at least at the Foundation Establishment stage, and it’s even better if they are at the Golden Core Formation stage.”

Good heavens, Golden Core stage! Fairy Ruqing’s appetite…

She continued with a smile, “Of course, I won’t make you work for nothing. The Qin family values fair trade. If you can provide precise information on a high-level demonic beast, I will… offer you a free power leveling service.”

“Power leveling?”

They were astonished, understanding yet not fully comprehending.

“Power leveling means I do all the fighting, and you deliver the finishing blow, taking the points.”

“Provide information on a Foundation Establishment stage beast, and I’ll help you level up to Foundation Establishment. Provide information on a Golden Core stage beast, and I’ll help you level up to Foundation Establishment, and so on.”

As soon as Qin Ruqing finished speaking, the four of them gulped.

The top-ranked Fairy Ruqing personally offering power leveling, where she fights and they finish off, just for providing high-level beast information… this was too tempting!

“Is Fairy Ruqing serious about this?”

“I swear on my top rank. If I don’t keep my word, you can sell this information to the Hui Cui Pavilion for a high price. They would certainly be interested in such news.”

Wow, Fairy Ruqing, you really know your stuff.

Qin Ruqing added, “You can also spread the word. This offer isn’t limited to you, it applies to everyone.”

Seeing that Qin Ruqing’s attitude was genuine, they became excited. The leader rubbed his hands and asked, “Then, how can we contact Fairy Ruqing?”

They needed a way to communicate! Heh, even if nothing else, getting Fairy Ruqing’s contact info would be worth it!

Qin Ruqing understood their intention, noticing their eager eyes.

Did they want her “WeChat number”?

The top-ranked, number one fairy of the Four Regions, could Qin Ruqing’s WeChat number be given out casually?

Glancing at the bewildered Qirong behind her, she suddenly smiled and said, “You can add Qirong. He’s my brother and agent. Contact him if you have any news.”

Agent = manager.

They widened their eyes.

No way…

They tried to protest, “What if this young master of the Qin family has too many admirers and misses the message…”

Qin Ruqing smiled, “Don’t worry, no girls are adding him. He’ll be available 24/7, guaranteed to receive and reply.”

Qirong: “?”