Bai Yunfei had been so startled by the sudden voice that he tripped over his trousers, tumbling to the ground and ending up with a mouthful of gra.s.s. Having not fit his second leg into the trouser hole, the trousers fell over on top of him as he sprawled onto the ground.

He leapt back up, halfway mortified and halfway wary at this new arrival. Putting on his trousers and tying his belt in one swift motion, Bai Yunfei retreated several steps away with his soulforce already raring to go at a moment’s notice.

The moment he turned around to look at the one who spoke, Bai Yunfei’s pupils dilated in shock.

“Soul–Soul Kings!”

His heart seized with shock. Up in the skies above him were two individuals standing solemnly as they looked down at him.

There wasn’t just one Soul King, but two! Their aura wasn’t radiating with the might of one, but the fact that they were standing above him without needing to be in constant motion proved them to be Soul Kings!

There was one male and one female; both around the age of thirty.

The male wore a robe of purple with sleeves that billowed in the air. His eyebrows were sharp like swords, his eyes bright like stars, and his expression handsome, but soldierly.

The female on the other hand, wore robes a bluish-green and flowed gently with the wind. Her eyebrows were curved like a willow branch, her eyes clear, her lips cherry-red, and her beauty as capable of the downfall of a city.

Both male and female smiled as they watched Bai Yunfei stumble over his words.

“Haha, don’t be afraid, little brother. We bear you no harm.” The female spoke first.

Her words were soothing to the ears, and Bai Yunfei felt himself believing her. Even if she was lying, there was nothing Bai Yunfei could do anyways against two Soul Kings.

“Seniors….what might this junior do for you?” Bai Yunfei bowed courteously.

The female tilted her head to point a jade-like finger at Xiao Qi. “We are here for him.”

“Xiao Qi?” Bai Yunfei repeated. He looked down at Xiao Qi, who in turn was looking at the two figures in the air with a mysterious expression.

“Xiao Qi? Is that his name?” She smiled. “A prisma oriole that managed to become a cla.s.s six, how surprising. Do tell, how did he manage to achieve that?”

“I….” Not knowing just what the two wanted with Xiao Qi, Bai Yunfei was hesitant to answer to them. But then, Xiao Qi rubbed its head to Bai Yunfei before chirping several times to him.

“Eh?”

Xiao Qi was communicating something only Bai Yunfei understood, and its words had clearly been surprising to hear. Pausing to digest what Xiao Qi said to him, Bai Yunfei turned back to the two figures with more understanding of the situation than before.

“This junior is Bai Yunfei, disciple of Zi Jin from the Crafting School. My deepest respect for the ones known as the ‘Two Winged Kings’.” Bai Yunfei bowed once more.

“Oh? So you recognize us two?” This time, the male was the one to speak. “Did he tell you that?” He nodded at Xiao Qi, “Communication like that means….you two formed a soul contract?!”

“Indeed, senior. Xiao Qi and I have formed a soul contract with each other,” Bai Yunfei nodded, “because of that, Xiao Qi was able to become a cla.s.s six after it.”

Now that he knew who these two individuals were, Bai Yunfei was a lot more calm in knowing that these two people wouldn’t hurt him.

Xiao Qi had told him that these two ‘people’ were actually like him! While not prisma orioles, they too, were soulbeasts–and of the bird species to boot!

Bai Yunfei didn’t understand at first, but with Xiao Qi’s warning and some information told to him by Zi Jin once before, Bai Yunfei finally confirmed it for himself!

In the world of soulbeasts, there was a rare type of soulbeasts known as the Jian, or the ‘one-winged birds’. These soulbeasts are naturally born with the level of a cla.s.s four soulbeast, but what was most special about them was their lives itself.

The Jian were by no means twins. But in the rare flock of Jian, every single newborn one would have a second half born at the same time. The mother and father would pair the eggs together, and when the eggs hatch, they would be forever destined to live with one another until their death.

With this interdependency on each other, the two Jian become capable of a level of growth far beyond most soulbeasts. Their trainings would result in double the results for half the work, and when they fought together, their strength would get even stronger.

Author note: In Chinese mythlore, the Jian were known to be birds with one-eye and one wing, meaning they’d need their other half in order to fly and such. The Jian in this story will have its differences and is basically just borrowing the name, please don’t pay too much attention to it.

In the world right now, there were two Jians known as the strongest of them all as being both at the mid-stage cla.s.s seven level. Together, their strength could be said to be a late-stage cla.s.s seven soulbeast.

They were the patron saints of all bird type soulbeasts and two of the Eight Soulbeast Rulers!

And yet, here they stood right in front of Bai Yunfei and Xiao Qi!

Soulbeasts at the cla.s.s seven level were already equivalent to the Soul Emperors of the soul cultivator world. As long as they reach this level, even the most savage and primal soulbeast would achieve the rationality of an intelligent being and be able to shapes.h.i.+ft into the form of a human.

The male was known as Yi Gang, and the female known as Yi Rou. In the world of soul cultivators, they were known as the ‘Two Winged Kings’.

The one known as Yi Gang was surprised to hear that not only did a prisma oriole form a soul contract with a young human, but an extremely talented one at that.

“You say you’re the disciple of Zi Jin from the Crafting School?” He queried, suspicious of his words, “According to what I know, Zi Jin has only three disciples, and the youngest one is thirty of age at the very least.”

But Bai Yunfei was calm. “This junior was only accepted as a disciple a few years ago, so the news of my being hasn’t yet been made widespread. My master told me that he once came across a pair of seniors when he traveled into the Soulbeast Forest, and made a soul armament for senior Yi Gang.”

“Oh? Then you must really be his fourth disciple?” Yi Gang’s eyebrow perked into the air. What Bai Yunfei said was a confirmation of his ident.i.ty, since not many soul cultivators knew about them or what they had due to their habit of staying inside the forest.

“Haha, I hadn’t the foggiest that you were really the disciple of Zi Jin, little brother. It must be fate for us to meet today.” Yi Rou spoke, “Bai Yunfei, was it? Do tell me, how did you meet this prisma oriole? Was it in the Soulbeast Forest? Why did you decide to make a soul contract? Was there some sort of fate that brought you two together?”

Bai Yunfei didn’t know what to say here. There was no way he could tell them that he and Xiao Qi only just met two months ago. No matter how nicely Yi Rou looked at and spoke to him, Bai Yunfei couldn’t say it.

But at the same time, he was talking with the two most friendly soulbeasts of the Eight Soulbeast Rulers, and he was afraid of angering them.

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Yi Gang narrowed his eyes, but Yi Rou didn’t seem to mind.

Smiling, she beckoned to Xiao Qi, “Come here, young one. I have something to ask you.”