Dragon Elephant Transformation

Dai Mubai looked again at Ning Qiu's martial soul behind him. A dragon's head, an elephant's body, and fish scales covering it all. As the Third Prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Mubai had never heard of such a bizarre martial soul.

"Are you really the village chief?" Dai Mubai asked.

Ning Qiu nodded.

"Are you really just a villager?" Dai Mubai continued asking.

Ning Qiu nodded again.

"How could a village have such a strange martial soul? And you even have two hundred-year soul rings. Both of their ages exceed the limit for a Soul Master's first soul ring." Dai Mubai remained skeptical.

"What's wrong with a village? Don't look down on country folk. Are you fighting or not? If not, compensate us and apologize. If you are, then stop wasting words." Ning Qiu said impatiently.

"Fight. Dai Mubai, White Tiger martial soul, Level 16 one-ring Battle Soul Master. Please enlighten me." In a domineering voice, Dai Mubai announced his martial soul and level, signaling a formal challenge.

"Ning Qiu, Primordial Dragon Elephant martial soul, Level 27 two-ring Battle Soul Master. Please enlighten me." Ning Qiu was equally serious.

"Level 27?" Dai Mubai's expression turned shocked once more. Ning Qiu was one or two years younger than him, yet his Soul Power Level was eleven minor levels higher.

"Start already, or you won't get the chance later. I'm confident I only need the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to defeat you easily," Ning Qiu said confidently.

What?

The time it takes to drink a cup of tea?

Dai Mubai's gaze darkened, anger flashing in his eyes. His martial soul was, after all, a top-grade martial soul. Ning Qiu merely had one more soul ring and eleven more levels of soul power than him. Yet Ning Qiu claimed he could defeat him in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

"Arrogant." Dai Mubai stomped his foot, and the sole soul ring around him lit up with yellow light.

First Soul Skill: White Tiger Protective Barrier

Soul power surged from Dai Mubai's body, forming a white shield of light around him. Every aspect of his body was enhanced.

Second Soul Skill: Dragon Elephant Transformation

At the same time, Ning Qiu's second soul ring lit up with yellow light. Ning Qiu, already muscular from being possessed by the Ancient Dragon Elephant, swelled even more dramatically. His shirt burst apart completely, exposing the terrifying contours of his muscles. Dense dragon scales emerged across his skin.

Ning Qiu's nails began transforming into nine-inch claws. His palms grew a size larger, while his entire body was enveloped in golden light, as though plated in gold. His originally black pupils turned blood-red as well. A sacred aura faintly leaked from his body.

This was Ning Qiu's second soul skill, Dragon Elephant Transformation.

Ning Qiu's Dragon Elephant Transformation could last for an hour. During that hour of transformation, his resistance to abnormal conditions, attack power, defense, and strength all increased twofold.

"Th-this... this..." Dai Mubai stared blankly at Ning Qiu in astonishment. "This isn't fair. I only have one soul ring, but you have two."

"There is no absolute fairness in this world. This is a cruel era. The victors become kings, and the losers become bandits. A loss is a loss, and a win is a win. I can maintain my current state for an hour. Do you still want to fight?" Ning Qiu asked.

Dai Mubai clenched his fists and hesitated for a long while. In the end, he withdrew his martial soul, wilting like an eggplant struck by frost.

"No need. I admit defeat," Dai Mubai said.

"Then compensate us and apologize." Ning Qiu looked at Gou Dan's father, Skinny Monkey, and asked, "How many Vegetables were ruined in total?"

"About two hundred and forty Gold Soul Coins' worth," Skinny Monkey answered.

"I... I don't have that much money on me right now. Can I owe it for now?" Dai Mubai asked.

As the Third Prince of the Star Luo Empire, it was not as though Dai Mubai lacked money. It was simply that he had encountered bandits while traveling, and all the money on him had been looted. Given a little time, forget two hundred and forty Gold Soul Coins—even two thousand four hundred Gold Soul Coins would be no problem for him.

"No," Ning Qiu refused.

"You're being unreasonable." Dai Mubai's face darkened.

"If I let you owe it, what if you run away?" Ning Qiu countered.

"Then what do you want to do?" Dai Mubai asked.

"Come back to the village with me and have your family pay to ransom you. Or work it off with labor," Ning Qiu said.

Dai Mubai hesitated.

"Let's go. Back to the village," Ning Qiu said flatly.

Uh!

Dai Mubai's expression darkened.

"Didn't you hear the village chief? What are you standing around for?" a villager shouted.

Dai Mubai glared at the villager. He could not defeat Ning Qiu, nor could he escape. Left with no other choice, he followed Ning Qiu back to Holy Soul Village.

"System, open the task interface." The first thing Ning Qiu did upon returning to the village was open the task interface.

"Task Eighteen: Two-star task. Have a heart-to-heart talk with Dai Mubai of the Evil Eye White Tiger and persuade him to join Holy Soul Village. Soul Power: 100,000 points. Contribution Points: 1,000 points. Item: Level 2 Treasure Pavilion Upgrade Card."

"Damn, the rewards are actually this generous. I can even get a Level 2 Treasure Pavilion Upgrade Card." To be honest, Ning Qiu was truly tempted.

In the current Level 1 Treasure Pavilion, the villagers could exchange for ten-year soul rings. By using his village chief privileges, Ning Qiu could exchange for hundred-year soul rings, with a maximum age of 999 years.

If the Treasure Pavilion were upgraded to Level 2, the villagers would be able to exchange for hundred-year soul rings. If Ning Qiu used his village chief privileges then, he would be able to exchange for thousand-year soul rings, with a maximum age of 9,999 years.

Huff, huff, huff~

A 9,999-year soul ring!

This time, Ning Qiu was truly tempted.

"But the task requires me to persuade Dai Mubai to join the village. Dai Mubai is the Third Prince of the Star Luo Empire—would he really be willing to enter a shabby little place like Holy Soul Village and become one of its villagers?" Ning Qiu thought.

According to the story's progression, Dai Mubai would eventually join Shrek Academy and represent Shrek Academy in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Soul Master Tournament.

Although Shrek Academy's team had Tang San, a total cheat, Dai Mubai's contribution to Shrek Academy's eventual championship could not be overlooked.

Ning Qiu had not forgotten that after Dai Mubai joined Shrek Academy, his fiancée Zhu Qing also left the Star Luo Empire and entered Shrek Academy.

In other words, if Ning Qiu could persuade Dai Mubai to join Holy Soul Village and remain there, it would be equivalent to recruiting two once-in-a-century geniuses for Holy Soul Village.

"But how could he make Dai Mubai take the initiative to ask to join the village?"

With the task requirements in mind, Ning Qiu's brain began racing.