The newly advanced Soul Masters were left speechless and had no choice but to give up bargaining.
Wang Ye was a level 43 Soul Ancestor, and he had three capable teammates at the Soul Elder level.
They could not afford to provoke him!
"Sorry, there's only one Soul Ring left. Captain Wang Ye, please continue searching for a Soul Beast!"
The last newly advanced Soul Master apologized.
"Hmph! Your requirement is a five-hundred-year Soul Beast. For every additional hundred years, you'll have to pay me ten more Gold Soul Coins. Got it?"
"I understand."
The last newly advanced Soul Master gritted his teeth.
He had only just advanced to Soul Grandmaster. After obtaining his Soul Ring and registering at Spirit Hall, he could receive at most ten Gold Soul Coins a month.
If they encountered a superior seven-hundred-year Soul Beast today, he would have to pay an extra twenty Gold Soul Coins.
Two months' worth of subsidies would be gone just like that.
Still, being able to hunt a superior seven-hundred-year Soul Beast and absorb its Soul Ring would be worth it!
Wang Ye snorted again.
Just then, Wang Ye caught a fleeting glimpse of something.
He saw a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy about to kill a Ghost Vine.
The Ghost Vine was covered in wounds. Only its roots and a few mostly lifeless vines remained, and it was dodging the boy's attacks.
But that did not stop Wang Ye from recognizing at a glance that it was a seven-hundred-year Ghost Vine.
"Not bad luck."
Wang Ye was delighted and led his team over.
"Kid, this seven-hundred-year Ghost Vine isn't something you can lay your hands on. Get out of here now."
Wang Ye spoke fiercely and directly released his martial soul.
Four Soul Rings—white, yellow, yellow, and purple—rose and circled around Wang Ye.
"A Soul Ancestor."
The boy's face immediately went pale when he saw Wang Ye's Soul Rings.
"Hurry home. This place isn't for you!"
Wang Ye mocked the boy before him.
The boy clenched his fists. Unwillingness filled his heart, killing intent flashed in his eyes, and his body trembled slightly.
But after a moment, the boy still chose to leave.
He left decisively and quickly vanished from everyone's sight.
He had finally come across a decent Soul Beast, and one that was seriously injured at that, only for it to be snatched away.
Damn it!
The boy was furious.
But he had only just advanced to Soul Grandmaster and had no strength to contend with the Soul Master team before him.
Forget it. I'll keep looking for injured Soul Beasts.
There were many injured Soul Beasts in Sunset Forest today. There was still a chance!
After the boy left, Wang Ye said impatiently and irritably, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and kill that Ghost Vine, then absorb its Soul Ring."
"Yes!"
The Soul Master who had just advanced to Soul Grandmaster hurriedly answered, stepped forward to kill the Ghost Vine, and absorbed its Soul Ring.
The seven-hundred-year Ghost Vine was two hundred years beyond the original five-hundred-year requirement, meaning he had to pay twenty additional Gold Soul Coins.
His heart bled, but it was worth it. Painful, yet sweet.
Similar bargain-picking was happening elsewhere in Sunset Forest.
Today was practically a perfect day for the Soul Masters who had come to Sunset Forest.
For some reason, Soul Beasts that were normally difficult to hunt had appeared in large numbers today, all in injured condition.
Rumor had it that a powerful expert had suffered heartbreak and crippled them to vent their emotions.
And these Soul Masters were the ones benefiting from it.
The Peerless Dragon Snake couple were also among the Soul Master teams picking up bargains.
"Yiran, hurry and kill that Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. It's a seven-hundred-year Soul Beast suited to your martial soul!"
"Okay, Grandpa."
Meng Yiran answered, summoned her Serpent Cane martial soul, and stabbed the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent to death.
A yellow Soul Ring rose from the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's corpse.
Meng Yiran hurriedly controlled her Serpent Cane martial soul to absorb the seven-hundred-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent Soul Ring.
Seeing his granddaughter begin absorbing the Soul Ring,
Dragon Duke Meng Shu was in an excellent mood.
"I didn't expect us to encounter an injured Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent."
"You have to know, Phoenix-tail Crested Serpents are incredibly cunning and very good at hiding. Whenever they encounter a Soul Master who seems off, they turn around and run."
"Even I might not be able to catch one, yet we actually found one this time. And both of its wings have been crippled, greatly reducing its ability to escape."
Dragon Duke Meng Shu watched Meng Yiran smoothly absorb the Soul Ring and could not help but sigh.
"Old man, this is our granddaughter's good fortune."
"This Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is highly compatible with Yiran's Serpent Cane martial soul, and it is exactly seven hundred years old. Such an opportunity is truly rare."
"Yiran's future achievements will not fall below yours or mine!"
Snake Grandma Chao Tianxiang's face glowed red with happiness. She was just as delighted as Dragon Duke Meng Shu.
"That's right. Yiran has the potential to become a Titled Douluo!"
Dragon Duke Meng Shu chuckled, looking radiant.
Dragon Duke Meng Shu himself had already reached the Soul Douluo level. Even if he could not become a Titled Douluo,
with his strength and resources, he was still confident he could cultivate a Titled Douluo.
Thus, Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Snake Grandma Chao Tianxiang happily watched their granddaughter absorb the Soul Ring.
This trip had gone far too smoothly.
Less than two days after arriving in Sunset Forest, they had encountered an injured superior Soul Beast.
It felt incredible.
This was an exceptional Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent with a cultivation of seven hundred years, precisely the maximum age a Soul Grandmaster could absorb.
Meng Yiran obtaining this Soul Ring was not only due to her strength, but also her luck.
Very soon,
Meng Yiran finished absorbing the seven-hundred-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent Soul Ring.
"Grandpa, Grandma, I've finished absorbing the Soul Ring!"
Meng Yiran said excitedly.
At this moment, Meng Yiran wore a neat, fitted outfit that tightly outlined her already well-developed figure.
The young girl was lovely and pretty, with short hair cut to her ears and a pair of lively, adorable eyes.
"Mm, good. My dear granddaughter, what Soul Skill did you gain from this Soul Ring?"
Dragon Duke Meng Shu asked kindly.
"Grandpa, Grandma, I'll show you!"
Meng Yiran said with a smile.
As she spoke, Meng Yiran released her Serpent Cane martial soul.
It was a strange snake-headed staff, a full two meters long.
It was held in Meng Yiran's hand at that moment, yet it did not look out of place.
On the contrary, it suited her perfectly.
As her martial soul appeared, Meng Yiran's originally gentle and lively gaze turned eerie and sharp.
"Second Soul Skill, Ensnaring Profundity!"
Meng Yiran's eyes turned cold. As Soul Power surged within her, green light flickered from the two-meter-long Serpent Cane.
A phantom Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent flew from the Serpent Cane and instantly coiled around a massive ancient tree, constricting it tightly.
At the same time, Meng Yiran's body shot backward through the air.
She rose quite high as she flew back, reaching a full three and a half meters above the ground!
A moment later,
when Meng Yiran landed and steadied herself,
the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent wrapped around the massive ancient tree released its constriction, and its phantom body returned to the Serpent Cane.
Looking at the tree trunk again, one could clearly see the deeply indented shape of a massive serpent, vivid and lifelike.
It showed just how great the phantom Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's constricting force had been!