Xue Qinghe narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass in Shen An's hand, his heart stirring slightly. What sharp sword energy, what an overbearing martial soul!
The quality of this martial soul far surpassed the Seven Kill Sword of the Seven Treasures Glazed Clan. In some aspects, it even rivaled his own Angel Martial Soul!
His Angel Martial Soul originated from a deity, and there was nothing in the entire Douluo Continent that could rival it. Yet, this sword could. How could this not shock him?
If this person grows up, he will undoubtedly become a peerless powerhouse. Unless he can be of use to me, otherwise...
In just a moment, Xue Qinghe's thoughts raced.
In a world like Douluo Continent, where martial souls were paramount, the quality of a martial soul determined a person's lower limit. This sword, only slightly inferior to his divine-level martial soul, was undoubtedly at the level of a Title Douluo.
Shen An wasn't someone overflowing with a sense of justice, but when such injustice happened right before his eyes, and he had the ability to intervene, he didn't mind stepping in.
Three sword beams shot out without holding back. The Black Wolf Trio, whose highest cultivation was only at the early Soul Elder level, couldn't possibly withstand Shen An's three strikes.
The Nine-Leaf Sword Grass was an ultimate martial soul—ultimate speed, ultimate sharpness, ultimate lethality!
With a single slash, the infamous Black Wolf Trio was sent flying before they could even summon their martial souls. Their wounds were deep enough to reveal bone, and they groaned in agony.
"How does it feel to be bullied?" Shen An walked up to the three and said indifferently.
The three men, ignoring their injuries, kowtowed frantically to Shen An. "Spare us, sir! We won't dare to do it again! We were just momentarily blinded by greed!"
The leader of the trio took out a money pouch and held it out with both hands. "Sir, this is the girl's money. We don't want it anymore. Please, let us go!"
The power of Shen An's sword strike made them realize the gap between them. They didn't dare say anything more, only begging for mercy.
Shen An looked at them coldly, a faint smile on his lips. "A mere Soul Master has no right to negotiate with me."
Shen An returned the words they had said to the girl. For those who bullied the weak, violence was the only answer.
A dazzling flash of cyan light swept past, and the three men were left covered in blood, lying weakly on the ground, their eyes filled with resentment as they stared at Shen An.
Shen An had severed all the meridians in their bodies. From now on, they would never be able to use soul power again.
Without soul power, given the countless grievances they had accumulated over the years, their lives would be a living hell.
"This is your money pouch, right? Here you go." Shen An tossed the blood-stained pouch to the girl.
The girl scrambled on the ground, clutching the pouch tightly as if it were her last hope, tears streaming down her face.
Shen An shook his head and left with Tom. Xue Qinghe watched Shen An with interest. Interesting, a good person?
He wasn't in a hurry to recruit Shen An. He knew that winning someone's loyalty wasn't something that could be done overnight.
Shen An had likely come to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a soul ring. All Xue Qinghe needed to do was show kindness at the right moment and then gradually win him over.
Xue Qinghe watched Shen An leave and then checked into a hotel. He planned to wait for Shen An to return and then "coincidentally" run into him, striking up a friendly conversation.
The talent and strength Shen An had displayed were worth spending his precious time on.
As for the three men on the ground, Xue Qinghe didn't spare them a glance. The commoners who had been oppressed by these three gathered around them, their eyes cold. As night fell, blood-curdling screams echoed through the air.
Shen An didn't concern himself with the girl. He could help her for a moment, but not for a lifetime.
In a feudal society like Douluo Continent, with the privileged class of Soul Masters, it was impossible for him to help everyone.
Shen An pushed aside his thoughts and noticed a vendor selling grilled fish by the roadside. He decided to buy one for Tom.
Before he could take out his money, a dirty hand reached out first, clutching five copper soul coins and handing them to the vendor. The hand then took the grilled fish and passed it to Tom.
The entire process was smooth and natural. Shen An looked at the girl in surprise. So clever? She figured out in an instant that the cat is my weakness.
Shen An looked at the girl and said slowly, "I know what you're thinking. Tomorrow, I'm going to the Star Dou Great Forest. I can take you with me."
The girl nodded vigorously. "My name is Ye Zi. Thank you. When I become a Soul Master, I'll repay you."
Shen An smiled but didn't take it to heart. He had only acted out of a moment of compassion, seeing that the girl had some potential.
---
The next day, Shen An took Ye Zi and Tom to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ye Zi's martial soul was an abacus, with an innate soul power of level six. It was a decent talent.
As for why someone with such talent hadn't been taken care of, Shen An didn't know and didn't care to find out. There were many people in the world with unfortunate fates, and he couldn't help them all.
After a while, Shen An watched as Ye Zi absorbed the soul ring from the hundred-year Green Bamboo he had just slain.
Coincidentally, just as Shen An was pondering what kind of soul beast to kill for her, Tom, who had been leading the way, was attacked by a bamboo stalk.
The bamboo struck Tom seven or eight times in a row, each hit reducing his height by a few centimeters. The once half-human-sized cat was now a mere three inches tall.
Tom angrily pointed at the bamboo, sentencing it to death.
And so, Ye Zi ended up unexpectedly obtaining a hundred-year soul ring.
After Ye Zi finished absorbing the soul ring, she looked at Shen An with joy. Shen An remained indifferent, showing no intention of speaking, which made Ye Zi's expression dim.
In Ye Zi's eyes, Shen An was a hero who had descended from the heavens to save her, a good person who had helped her obtain a soul ring. But Shen An's aloof demeanor made it clear that he didn't want to have any deeper connection with her.
Just as Ye Zi stood up, Tom and Shen An looked into the distance. Several powerful auras were rapidly approaching.
A sharp screech echoed through the sky, and in the blink of an eye, they saw the Huo Wu siblings from yesterday being carried by a middle-aged man with flaming wings on his back, flying at high speed. Feng Xiaotian, also with wings on his back, was close behind.
Huo Wu and the others also noticed Shen An, their faces filled with terror as they shouted, "Kid from yesterday, what are you standing around for? Run!"
Shen An immediately sensed something was wrong. He activated his Cyan Sword Eyes and saw a colossal ape, the size of a mountain, charging toward them. Countless trees were sent flying to either side.
Holy crap!!!
What the hell is that thing? Without hesitation, Shen An grabbed Tom and Ye Zi and took to the air on his sword.
This was the first time Shen An had flown at full speed on his sword, and the speed was astonishing. Even the middle-aged man with six soul rings and flaming wings couldn't catch up for a moment.
In the distance, the Titan Giant Ape, upon sensing the aura of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass that Shen An had summoned, increased its speed even further. The sword that injured Sister Xiao Wu is this one! Damn it! Damn humans!
Shen An flew at top speed, temporarily staying ahead of the Titan Giant Ape. But in the blink of an eye, the Titan Giant Ape caught up to Huo Wu and the others.
Feng Xiaotian's eyes were filled with despair. Is this how I die? Damn it, where did such a powerful soul beast come from?
Huo Wu, my love, I'll see you in the next life.
Huo Wu and the others were trembling all over. This was a Titan Giant Ape! Judging by its size, it was at least ten thousand years old. Forget them, even a Title Douluo might not be able to defeat it.
But to their surprise, the Titan Giant Ape didn't even glance at them. It continued charging forward at full speed, its eyes fixed solely on Shen An.
Huo Wu and the others watched in disbelief as the Titan Giant Ape ran past them. What the hell? It's not after us. It's after that kid!
Shen An's expression changed drastically. Oh no, it's coming for me!