Star Dou Forest!
Zhao Wuji had the Phoenix-Tailed Chicken-Headed Snake under control. He grinned, hesitated for a moment, and then turned to shout, "Oscar, come over here! Kill this spirit beast and absorb its spirit ring. Your first and second spirit skills are Recovery Sausage and Detoxification Sausage. If this third spirit skill is indeed related to speed, as Tang San said, it will be extremely practical!"
Oscar's face lit up with joy. He pulled out a dagger and quickly approached. They had only just entered the Star Dou Forest, and already they had found a spirit beast suitable for his spirit ring.
However, at that moment, an elderly voice rang out. "Immobile King Zhao Wuji, this Phoenix-Tailed Chicken-Headed Snake is one I've been eyeing for my granddaughter's third spirit ring. It fled during our pursuit, and now you've captured it. Please return it to us, and my husband and I will owe you a favor."
As the voice fell, everyone turned to look.
From the forest, an elderly woman and a young girl walked out. The girl was young and beautiful, her face filled with urgency. The old woman held a snake-headed staff, and beneath her feet, six spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—swirled rhythmically. She was a Soul Emperor.
Zhao Wuji, seeing that it was only a Soul Emperor, immediately hardened his attitude. He grinned and said, "Old woman, in the Star Dou Forest, spirit beasts are ownerless. Whoever catches them gets to keep them. My student also needs this spirit beast for his third spirit ring. Your favor? I don't need it!"
The old woman's face darkened. She was somewhat renowned in the spirit master world, and she hadn't expected to be so blatantly dismissed today. She said in a low voice, "Immobile King, arrogance will lead to your downfall. I am Chao Tianxiang, known in the spirit master world as Snake Grandma. My husband, Meng Shu, is known as Dragon Grandpa. The favor of our couple is quite valuable. Would you reconsider?"
Zhao Wuji's expression changed. Dragon Grandpa and Snake Grandma—the legendary Dragon-Snake Couple. When they combined their martial souls, their Dragon-Snake Fusion Skill could rival a Titled Douluo. They were famous throughout the spirit master world.
*What's going on lately? Why do I keep running into big shots? This is getting complicated.*
Zhao Wuji's face flickered between emotions. He couldn't afford to fight. Meng Shu might be nearby, and he was a Soul Douluo. Reluctantly, Zhao Wuji said, "So it's Snake Grandma. My apologies for earlier. But we really need this spirit beast. Oscar, come here. Snake Grandma, look, this is my student. He's also at the 30th level and needs this spirit beast for his spirit ring."
Chao Tianxiang looked at Oscar's youthful face, a hint of surprise flashing across her expression. To have reached the 30th level at such a young age—this boy was extraordinary.
She hesitated. With Meng Shu not by her side, she didn't want to provoke a conflict with the infamous Immobile King Zhao Wuji. After a moment, she said, "Then let's follow the rules of the spirit master world. The two children will duel. The winner gets to absorb the spirit ring."
She looked at Zhao Wuji. This was her greatest concession.
Zhao Wuji was silent for a moment before letting out a bitter laugh. "Snake Grandma, that won't work. My student is a food-system spirit master. He has no combat abilities. How can he fight your granddaughter?"
Chao Tianxiang was stunned. She looked at the innocent-looking Oscar and could only grit her teeth. "Regardless, we can't just hand over the spirit beast. There must be a duel. If this boy can't fight, then choose someone else. But it must be a Great Soul Master!"
In her heart, Chao Tianxiang thought this was for the best. Her granddaughter was at the 30th level, and few Great Soul Masters could match her. This way, her chances of winning were higher.
Chao Tianxiang's granddaughter, the young and beautiful Meng Yiran, stepped forward confidently. She summoned her martial soul and declared, "Meng Yiran, martial soul Snake Staff, 30th-level strong attack-type Battle Spirit Master!"
A black light flashed in her hand, transforming into a snake-headed staff. Two yellow spirit rings appeared beneath her feet, exuding an intimidating aura.
Oscar was startled. He looked around at his companions—Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing—all Great Soul Masters. But the strongest among them was undoubtedly Tang San. He waved and said, "Tang San, help me out, buddy. This spirit beast is perfect for me. We can't let them take it."
Tang San nodded. Since Oscar had asked, he couldn't just stand by. He stepped forward and said, "Tang San, martial soul Blue Silver Grass, 29th-level control-type Battle Spirit Master!"
Meng Yiran's eyebrows shot up, and her eyes widened in anger. "You're sending out a Blue Silver Grass spirit master? Are you looking down on me? I'll make you regret this!"
With that, she launched her attack. Her speed was impressive, and her snake staff moved like a living serpent, leaving behind a blur of afterimages.
Tang San, however, was equally fast and agile. None of Meng Yiran's attacks came close to touching him. He also summoned a large amount of Blue Silver Grass to entangle her.
Meng Yiran activated her first and second spirit skills. The snake staff spat out a short sword-like tongue, glowing with a sinister light—clearly poisoned.
The short sword was sharp enough to cut through Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, but the poison had little effect on the grass.
The battle reached a stalemate. Meng Yiran couldn't catch Tang San, and Tang San couldn't subdue Meng Yiran. But after about ten minutes, the situation changed.
Tang San used his second spirit skill, Parasite. The seeds he had planted on Meng Yiran earlier began to grow, binding her tightly. The thorns on the Blue Silver Grass pierced her clothes and skin, injecting toxins into her body.
Meng Yiran felt her strength draining away. Though unwilling, she could only say, "I admit defeat."
Tang San retracted his martial soul and clasped his hands. "I concede."
Meng Yiran snorted coldly. Thinking about what had just happened, she felt deeply humiliated but had no face to stay. She turned and left, saying bitterly, "Grandma, let's go."
Chao Tianxiang narrowed her eyes, glancing at Oscar, then Tang San, and finally Zhao Wuji. She said in a low voice, "Immobile King, we'll let you have this spirit beast. But we won't forget this."
With that, she turned and left, the two quickly disappearing into the forest.
Zhao Wuji, now anxious, said, "This is trouble. Dragon Grandpa and Snake Grandma are inseparable. If we stay, things might get worse. Oscar, hurry up and kill the spirit beast. After you absorb the spirit ring, we'll leave the Star Dou Forest as soon as possible."
Oscar, both nervous and excited, didn't waste any time. He stepped forward with his dagger and killed the Phoenix-Tailed Chicken-Headed Snake. Soon, a purple spirit ring appeared above its body.
Oscar sat down cross-legged, summoned the spirit ring, and began absorbing it. Meanwhile, Tang San also sat down to recover his depleted soul power.
Several hours passed.
Oscar was the first to wake up. He laughed joyfully, summoned his martial soul, and chanted, "I have a mushroom sausage!"
In an instant, his soul power condensed into a sausage with a mushroom-shaped head. He said proudly, "Do you know how powerful my third spirit skill is?"
Whether it was powerful or not was debatable, but after hearing the incantation and seeing the bizarre sausage, everyone immediately backed away. It was just too disgusting.
Seeing this, Oscar looked both indignant and frustrated. He ate the mushroom sausage himself, and a pair of translucent wings sprouted from his back, lifting him into the air. He wanted to prove his worth and shouted, "This Flying Mushroom Sausage not only lets you fly but also allows you to fly at the speed of a Phoenix-Tailed Chicken-Headed Snake for one minute!"
Hearing this, everyone was shocked. His third spirit skill was indeed powerful.
But at that moment, Ning Rongrong, clinging to Chen Yuan's arm, spoke up seriously. "Only one minute? That's not even enough time to enjoy it. Unlike my Brother Chen Yuan, who can last over an hour and recover his soul power quickly with just a bit of meditation!"
The moment she finished speaking, the area fell into dead silence. Oscar's face turned pale, and his lips trembled. He had lost. There was no way to refute that.
Chen Yuan sighed helplessly and flicked Ning Rongrong's forehead. "While what you said is true, don't say it next time. Such bold words shouldn't come from a young lady's mouth."
Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue at Chen Yuan and said, "I was just telling the truth."
The expressions of everyone around turned strange. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, in particular, blushed deeply. They had understood the implications of Ning Rongrong's words and couldn't bring themselves to look at Chen Yuan.
Ning Rongrong was no innocent flower. She knew a lot more than she let on.
(End of Chapter)
Word Count : 1,532
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