Ye Xinglan took the Star Soul Spirit and happily hugged it to her chest.
At that moment, she truly believed what Yuanen Yehui had said.
If Xia Yi didn't have feelings for her, how could he so casually give away such a precious hundred-thousand-year-old soul spirit?
Thinking of this, Ye Xinglan hugged the Star Soul Spirit even tighter.
"I wonder when Yali will be back. Let's eat first. Afterward, we can walk around the Elven Tribe a bit," Xia Yi said with a smile, seeing Ye Xinglan's expression.
After what happened yesterday, he had been keeping an eye on Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan. Although he had been outside the room discussing natural magic with Barubel when the two girls were talking, he had still clearly heard their conversation.
"Aren't you going to keep practicing natural magic?" Ye Xinglan's eyes flashed with a hint of joy upon hearing Xia Yi say he wanted to go out with her, but she still instinctively asked about his natural magic.
She didn't want Xia Yi to abandon his important pursuits for her. If he really did that, she would feel extremely guilty.
"What use is just training blindly? No need to rush. I'll try again once we return to the Douluo Plane. Let's first figure out the root of the problem," Xia Yi said with a smile. They weren't going to stay in the Elven Tribe for just a few days, and even if the matter with the Demon Plane was resolved, it would be easy for him to return to the Tianxuan Continent.
There was plenty of time to learn natural magic. Rushing blindly would only waste it.
The food brought by the elven maidens was noticeably different from yesterday's, but the quality was just as high.
The three of them quickly devoured everything.
While the food no longer provided cultivation benefits to the three, the delicious taste and fragrance were still enjoyable.
After leaving the room, Xia Yi stopped a passing elf man to ask about interesting places in the Elven Tribe.
The elf looked at Xia Yi and the two girls beside him, Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan, and gave a strange smile. "There are lots of interesting places in the Eternal Forest—Split Mountain Waterfall, Lake of Fated Beginnings, Cliff of Fallen Gods, etc. These places are open to outsiders. But if you're interested, the Blood Mist is a pretty good spot."
"Blood Mist? Sounds like a mess. Not going." Xia Yi rejected it without a second thought. That name screamed "danger zone."
What a joke—he was taking Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan sightseeing, not out monster hunting or leveling up.
Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan both nodded in agreement.
Their thoughts were aligned.
Seeing their reactions, the elf was stunned. "You've never heard of the Blood Mist?"
He could understand Xia Yi rejecting it—but Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan too?
"What's so special about the Blood Mist?" Xia Yi asked back.
"The Blood Mist is a small world created by a powerful elder of the Elven Tribe. It's been around for who knows how many years. Whether human or orc, anyone who wants to openly marry an elven girl—or any elf who wants to marry an outsider—must first pass through the Blood Mist," the elf explained.
In the past, elves fetched sky-high prices among humans and orcs.
But the elves were powerful. Kidnapping one from the Eternal Forest was extremely dangerous.
After all, elves were natural archers and mages. Unless they willingly left with a slaver, it was almost impossible to forcefully take them.
So slave traders changed tactics. They used sweet words to deceive naive elf boys and girls, coaxing them out of the forest before abducting them.
The Elven leadership's first response was to ban romantic relationships with humans and orcs and increase patrols on the borders.
They also educated unmarried elves on the dangers of humans and orcs, even bringing back rescued elves to share their harrowing experiences in public.
This helped raise awareness, but not enough.
No matter what the leadership did, some elves believed they had found true love and would risk everything to elope with their supposed beloved.
Realizing words were useless on lovestruck elves, the Elven leaders created the Blood Mist with the strength of the entire tribe.
After hearing the explanation, Xia Yi understood—the Blood Mist served a similar purpose to the Valley of True Love Trials (Qiankun Wenqing Valley) in the Douluo Plane.
It was a test of genuine love.
"Elves who fall in love—don't you think you've found 'the one'? Then let them go through the Blood Mist. If they really love you, the Elven Tribe won't just allow the marriage—they'll make it a grand celebration. But if they're too afraid to go in, then that tells you all you need to know."
After its creation, the Blood Mist truly saved many elves who thought they were in love, and even exposed a number of slave traders.
"Blood-colored"—the term itself was a warning.
It was a warning to both the slave traders and the love-struck elves.
Over time, the Blood Mist became the only legitimate way for humans and orcs to marry elven girls.
Many human and orc couples even came together to experience the trial, paying a fee to ensure that, regardless of the result, both would return safely.
Even elven couples who fell in love would sometimes go together to test their bond.
"So? Interested in walking through the Blood Mist?" the elf asked with a half-smile, though his eyes showed barely hidden smugness.
"Damn elf. Jealous I've got two beauties with me and trying to make trouble, huh?" Xia Yi instantly saw through him.
This elf clearly wasn't happy with Xia Yi being flanked by two gorgeous women. He was trying to stir things up between them.
If Xia Yi refused, he'd look guilty.
But if he accepted—hah!
Three people going into the Blood Mist? What kind of absurdity is that? It hadn't happened since... well, ever.
"Xia Yi, maybe let's not..." Ye Xinglan looked down, her voice soft. She already believed that Xia Yi cared about her, but she knew that in his heart, Gu Yue, Leng Yaozhu, and the others were more important.
Rather than embarrass herself or risk heartache, it was better to pretend she didn't know.
"What an interesting place. I'd love to see it for myself," Xia Yi said, looking up at the elf with not a trace of fear in his eyes. He asked challengingly, "Where is the Blood Mist?"
The elf was briefly surprised by Xia Yi's fearless look, then pointed southeast. "That direction—about 450 kilometers. There's a red forest. One of our elders is stationed there. Find him, and he'll open the entrance. If you can't find it, just pay a fee and any elf can guide you there."
"No need!" Xia Yi waved his hand, then took Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan into the air, flying straight toward the Blood Mist.
The Blood Mist—created by an ancestor of the Elven Tribe!
Surely it couldn't be more extreme than the Valley of True Love Trials left behind by the God of Love.
(End of Chapter)