20+ Advance chapters on Patreon
Ning Tian sensed the hunt had dragged on long enough. His mental reach brushed against the approaching presence of the Serpent Lady and Meng Yiran. "Let's wrap this up. Oscar, finish it."
Zhao Wuji pulled a short knife from his storage soul tool and tossed it to Oscar. "Ning Tian's right. Get it done."
Oscar gripped the blade, excitement sparking in his eyes, but just as he raised it, a sharp voice cut through the air: "Hold it right there!"
As heads turned toward the sound, Ning Tian seized the distraction. He slipped a potent laxative into his mouth, linking its effects to Tang San with a flicker of focus. The rest of the Shrek group summoned their martial souls and soul rings, bracing for trouble.
Two figures emerged from the direction the serpent had fled—an old woman with a weathered face and a spirited young girl, both wielding snake-headed staffs. The old woman's staff stretched three meters, circled by two yellow, three purple, and one black soul ring. The girl was over two meters, with two yellow rings.
The Serpent Lady's confidence wavered at the sight of Zhao Wuji's seven soul rings. After exchanging introductions, Zhao Wuji pieced together that she was half of the Unrivaled Dragon-Serpent duo—meaning her husband, a Spirit Douluo, might be close by.
Not eager to tangle with someone that strong, Zhao Wuji softened his stance. They agreed to settle it the soul master way: a duel between one of Shrek's students and Meng Yiran, winner takes the soul ring.
"I'll handle it," Tang San said, stepping up. "I'm level twenty-nine, same as you."
He'd been itching for a chance to shine. Fainting at the entrance exam, scraping by in the arena, and now watching Ning Tian steal the show, it had all gnawed at him. This was his shot.
Oscar, genuinely moved by Tang San stepping up for him, blinked back tears. "Good brother."
Tang San flashed a grin. "Roommates and brothers, right?"
Meng Yiran eyed Tang San's stocky, bearish build and sighed. "Let's make this quick."
Oscar, ever the instigator, piped up. "Hold on."
Meng Yiran frowned. "What now?"
"If we win, what's in it for us? We are risking our soul ring, but what are you putting up?"
Meng Yiran crossed her arms. "Name your price."
Oscar smirked. "If you lose, how about a kiss for Tang San?"
Meng Yiran's face scrunched up. "Kiss that black bear?"
Tang San's temper flared. "Who're you calling a black bear?"
He could take a lot, but jabs at Xiao Wu or his looks hit hard.
Meng Yiran didn't flinch. "I'd rather drop dead than kiss you."
Ning Rongrong, never one to miss a chance to stir things up, laughed. "Besides, Ning Tian's the one who caught the serpent. If anyone's getting a kiss, it's him." She shot Ning Tian a playful wink.
Meng Yiran glanced at Ning Tian–fair-skinned, well-built, and undeniably striking. "Fine," she said, certain she'd win. "If I lose, I'll kiss him."
Tang San fumed. The idea that she'd rather kiss Ning Tian than even entertain him was a gut punch. "Enough chatter. Let's fight. Tang San, martial soul Blue Silver Grass, level twenty nine Spirit Grand Master."
Meng Yiran blinked. "Wait, your martial soul isn't a bear?"
Soul masters' looks often mirrored their martial souls—Zhao Wuji's bearish bulk came from his Vigorous Vajra Bear, after all. Tang San's frame had her guessing wrong.
The Shrek crew bit back laughter, even Zhao Wuji's lips twitching.
Tang San's face darkened.
"Meng Yiran, martial soul Snake Staff, level thirty Great Soul Master."
She didn't waste another word. Charging forward, she swung her staff at Tang San's head.
He sidestepped with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, then lit up his first soul ring. Blue vines erupted, coiling around Meng Yiran and her staff in an instant.
As he prepared to use his second skill, Parasite, to seal the deal, the laxative Ning Tian had used, hit him. A sharp cramp twisted his gut, and thinking it was just gas, he let it rip.
A loud, rancid blast tore through the clearing.
Everyone, even the Serpent Lady recoiled, noses wrinkling in disgust.
Meng Yiran grimaced but held her ground. Both her soul rings flared. Her staff spat a two-foot, venom-laced blue blade, and with snake like agility, she slipped free of the vines, countering with a fierce strike.
Oscar flailed. "Tang San, what's wrong with you? Why 'now'?"
His soul ring and his future, on the edge.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━━
patreon.com/DUKE3500 for advance chapters for all the novels i translate for 2$.