Luo Ye, Gu Yuena, and Snow Empress could clearly see a phantom of a demonic cat, entirely black with black mist swirling around its body, appearing behind Zhu Zhuqing.
This was only possible because their mental force was strong enough; if it were other three-ring Spirit Elders, they probably wouldn't be able to see this demonic cat, which seemed to merge with the shadows.
This phantom demonic cat was full of Evil, a stark contrast to Zhu Zhuqing's previous Hell Civet Spirit; one was in the heavens, the other on the ground.
Evidently, the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's spirit ring, combined with the residual medicinal power of the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone left in Zhu Zhuqing's body, caused her Spirit to undergo a truly beneficial mutation.
Just then, Zhu Zhuqing, who had finished absorbing the spirit ring, finally opened her eyes, a red light flashing through them.
Despite her alluring and graceful figure, she now exuded a cold beauty, making it impossible for anyone to look away once they saw her.
Feeling the abundant spirit power within her body, the cold beauty on Zhu Zhuqing's face vanished, replaced by a brilliant smile directed at Luo Ye, as she exclaimed in surprise:
"Luo Ye, my spirit power has reached level thirty-seven!"
Originally, Zhu Zhuqing's spirit power was only twenty-seven, but because of that Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone and the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's spirit ring, her spirit power directly increased by a full ten levels.
Before this, it was something Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't even dare to dream of.
Luo Ye merely smiled and nodded, then said:
"The increase in spirit power is just the most basic benefit. Now, feel your Spirit again."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing instinctively released her Spirit.
Under the gaze of Luo Ye, Gu Yuena, and Snow Empress, Zhu Zhuqing's hands seemed to transform into cat claws, and her already beautiful and charming face became even more enchanting. Her entire being exuded an aura of Evil.
Zhu Zhuqing casually waved her hand, and a whooshing sound echoed, as if even the air had been torn apart by her claws.
To verify the strength of her mutated Spirit, Zhu Zhuqing consecutively used her original two Spirit Abilities, as well as the Spirit Ability granted by the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's spirit ring.
After trying them out, Zhu Zhuqing was pleasantly surprised to find that her current Spirit's strength was nearly twice as powerful as her previous Hell Civet!
Zhu Zhuqing was certain that she was now definitely stronger than Dai Mubai.
Even her elder sister Zhu Zhuyun, who held an age advantage, might have slightly higher spirit power than herself, but with the advantage of her Spirit, Zhu Zhuyun would definitely not be her opponent.
Upon realizing the immense improvement she had gained, a gleam flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, and she directly pounced into Luo Ye's embrace.
"Thank you so much, Luo Ye. If it weren't for you, let alone my Spirit mutating into its current form, I probably wouldn't know how much longer it would take to cultivate my spirit power to level thirty-seven."
Zhu Zhuqing had a very clear understanding of herself; she knew that her talent wasn't particularly outstanding.
Her innate spirit power was only level eight, even lower than Ning Rongrong, a support system Spirit Master.
Perhaps in other places, this talent would be considered top-tier, but the beautiful girls surrounding Luo Ye had talents that were simply one more exaggerated than the last.
Yet now, with Luo Ye's help, Zhu Zhuqing had gained the qualification to look down on others, so how could she not be happy?
Through the strong squeezing sensation on his chest, Luo Ye also felt Zhu Zhuqing's level of happiness. He glanced at Gu Yuena and Snow Empress from the corner of his eye, then gently patted Zhu Zhuqing's back and said:
"There's no need for such politeness between us; this is what I should do."
Watching this scene, Snow Empress had no particular thoughts.
But Gu Yuena was different.
Deep down, Gu Yuena had developed some feelings for Luo Ye, and she herself was aware of it, but she had always been unwilling to face it.
Now, watching Luo Ye and Zhu Zhuqing embrace, a hint of jealousy inevitably arose in her heart.
She couldn't help but pout, secretly complaining in her mind:
'What's so great about it? So what if her Spirit mutated?'
'It's just that this King doesn't want to compete with you. Otherwise, neither in terms of strength nor in Luo Ye's heart could you ever compare to this King.'
It was fortunate that Zhu Zhuqing couldn't hear Gu Yuena's thoughts.
Otherwise, if she knew Gu Yuena was thinking this way, she would definitely launch an even fiercer offensive against Luo Ye, determined to take her place at all costs.
Once Zhu Zhuqing's excited emotions gradually calmed down, Luo Ye looked at her and asked:
"Zhuqing, since your Spirit has mutated, and there's been a qualitative change in its appearance and strength compared to the previous Hell Civet, let's give your new Spirit a name."
Zhu Zhuqing pondered for a moment, then looked at Luo Ye with a beaming smile and said:
"Since this mutation occurred because I absorbed the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's spirit ring, and my Spirit is now very compatible with shadows, how about calling it the Shadow Demonic Cat?"
Hearing this name, Luo Ye nodded in support.
"That works. This name is very fitting for your Spirit's characteristics."
Seeing the two of them clinging together and chatting more and more happily, Gu Yuena finally couldn't hold back.
"Luo Ye, since we've already arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest, why don't you also consume an Immortal Herb and see if it can help your spirit power directly break through to level forty?"
"This way, you can also take this opportunity to find a suitable spirit ring for yourself."
Luo Ye thought about it for a moment, then shook his head, refusing Gu Yuena's suggestion.
"No need. My current spirit power is only level thirty-three, and the Immortal Herb I plan to consume won't take effect as quickly as the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, so it won't be able to directly increase my spirit power by seven levels."
The Immortal Herbs Luo Ye planned to consume were the Autumn Water Dew and the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid.
The Autumn Water Dew was for improving the quality of his spirit eye Spirit and would not increase his spirit power.
The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid's effect was also very gentle. Although its medicinal power was top-tier among all Immortal Herbs, its effect would be very slow to manifest.
At most, it would only increase his spirit power by five levels, like Oscar in the original story, which would not be enough to absorb a fourth spirit ring.
Since Luo Ye had made his decision, Gu Yuena said no more. After all, she brought it up only to prevent Luo Ye and Zhu Zhuqing from continuing their intimate conversation.
This Spirit hunting operation had been successfully completed, and there was no need for them to remain in the Star Dou Great Forest.
While returning to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Luo Ye, using his thoughts, continued to write new content in his diary.