One Person

Just then, Zhu Zhuqing's voice rang out. Everyone stopped arguing and released their Martial Souls.

Shi Yi also summoned Little Ant. After all, this was quite a feast for Little Ant.

At Zhu Zhuqing's low shout, her agile figure dove down from above. Completely unafraid despite facing a thousand-year Soul Beast, her claws and First Soul Ring lit up at the same time. Hell Stab, activate.

"The mist sprayed by the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent isn't poisonous."

The instant Shi Yi's words fell, Zhu Zhuqing's claws, carrying a fierce gust of wind, were about to strike the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's fleshy crest. The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent seemed startled. It tilted its head, suddenly opened its mouth, and sprayed a cloud of seven-colored mist at Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing instinctively wanted to retreat, but recalling Shi Yi's words, she lunged straight at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. Yet that slightest hesitation kept her claws from striking the weak point beneath its crest. Instead, they landed on its scale-covered body.

The sound of claws colliding with scales rang out, immediately slowing the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's forward charge by several degrees.

"Little Ant, clamp it." Shi Yi said softly.

Little Ant, which Shi Yi had summoned long ago, had already lain in ambush not far beneath Zhu Zhuqing. The instant Zhu Zhuqing struck the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, its two thick forelimbs clamped down hard around the entire serpent. The force was so tremendous that the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent instantly bent into a Z-shape before letting out an intense, low hiss.

Just from the sound, everyone could hear the pain the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was suffering.

Such terrifying strength. One strike alone snapped the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's spine. A special Thousand Jun Ant that can materialize... a Pure Strength Soul Master? Zhao Wuji looked from Little Ant to Shi Yi and silently thought.

"Success!" Oscar's excitement was impossible to hide as he rushed toward the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent in two or three strides.

Xiao Wu stood beside Tang San with her head lowered, her large eyes filled with reluctance. "Xiao San, do we really have to kill Soul Beasts?"

Shi Yi, standing not far away, could not help rolling his eyes when he heard Xiao Wu. She could condense Soul Rings herself, but how were ordinary Soul Masters supposed to advance without Soul Rings? Did Soul Beasts not kill other Soul Beasts?

Tang San could not help recalling what had happened earlier. He said nothing, merely shaking his head slightly to signal Xiao Wu not to speak further.

Zhao Wuji took a short blade from his waist and handed it to Oscar. "The longer we wait, the more trouble there may be. Do it. Stab in from beneath its fleshy crest here, and you'll pierce its brain. That Soul Ring will be yours."

Just as Oscar was about to drive the blade in, a hoarse, sharp cry suddenly rang out. "Stop!"

Immediately afterward, two figures darted out from the direction the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had come from and appeared before the group.

The two were women, one old and one young. The older woman appeared to be sixty or seventy years old. Her full head of white hair was combed meticulously. Though she was advanced in years, she was remarkably spirited. Her face bore many wrinkles, yet it was rosy like a baby's. A sharp light flickered in her eyes. In her right hand, she held a three-meter-long serpent-headed cane, while six Soul Rings rose and fell around her body.

Beside the old woman stood a beautiful young girl of about sixteen or seventeen. Her short hair reached her ears, and her neat, fitted combat attire tightly outlined her already well-developed figure. Her large dark-brown eyes were fixed firmly on the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent in Little Ant's grasp. She also held a serpent-headed cane, though hers was shorter than the old woman's, only two meters long. Only two century-old Soul Rings surrounded her body.

The two of them were also somewhat surprised by Little Ant.

Then came the rules of the martial world. Zhao Wuji and Chao Tianxiang exchanged words and established their terms. After a verbal clash, the two decided to settle ownership of the Soul Beast with a match.

Zhao Wuji swept his gaze over the group. Choosing Ma Hongjun or Zhu Zhuqing might lead to defeat, but Dai Mubai could not be chosen. As for Xiao Wu and Tang San, they were suitable, but neither knew when to stop. If they seriously hurt someone, there would be trouble.

In the end, Zhao Wuji's gaze settled on Shi Yi.

"You, brat. Go fight." Zhao Wuji pointed at Shi Yi.

"Me?" Shi Yi, whose mind had been wandering elsewhere, came back to himself and asked in surprise. Instinctively, he looked toward Tang San beside him.

Shi Yi saw Tang San wearing a calm expression, looking entirely unconcerned as though it had nothing to do with him.

"This..." Shi Yi said with some reluctance. The reason he often stayed out of things was not merely because he did not want to meddle too much. From another perspective, he also did not want to alter the plot too greatly. The more variables there were, the less he would be able to foresee.

"Enough nonsense. Get over there." Zhao Wuji glared with his bear-like eyes.

With no other choice, Shi Yi slowly stepped forward. It seems my very existence is a variable.

"Xiao Yi, we're counting on you." Oscar said softly. After spending this time together, Oscar had come to greatly recognize Shi Yi's theoretical knowledge. He understood clearly what a flight ability meant for a Food System Soul Master like himself.

Shi Yi smiled and nodded. Since he could not refuse, he could only press onward.

The girl on the other side had also stepped forward. Everyone else gradually backed away, leaving enough room for the two to fight.

"My name is Shi Yi. Level twenty-seven, two-ring Battle Soul Master."

The girl said coldly, "Meng Yiran. Serpent Cane Martial Soul. Level thirty, two-ring Battle Soul Master."

"A Weapon Soul Master, and an older sister too." Shi Yi smiled faintly, though inwardly he shook his head.

In the early stages, Beast Soul Masters unquestionably possessed greater combat strength than Weapon Soul Masters. With few Soul Skills available early on, and most Weapon Soul Masters unable to skillfully wield their Tool Souls in a short time, this was inevitable—unless one had transmigrated with a copy of the Nine Swords of Dugu like Tang San.

Most Weapon Soul Masters in this world might spend their entire lives without fully comprehending the Tool Soul in their hands.

Seeing Shi Yi smile, Meng Yiran frowned slightly. She sensed disdain in his smile, and the anger in her beautiful eyes intensified.

Shi Yi stood quietly where he was and did not even recall Little Ant, still having it watch over the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, which had barely any breath left.

"Ladies first. Please." Shi Yi said with a soft laugh, slowly raising his right hand.

The Shrek group looked at Little Ant, which was still standing where it was, with surprised expressions. Oscar wanted to say something, but Zhao Wuji stopped him.

Meng Yiran looked at Shi Yi with some confusion. Though she had seen Shi Yi's Soul Rings, she had not seen his Martial Soul. Caution could not help appearing on the girl's pretty face.

Seeing Shi Yi make no move, Meng Yiran, whose anger had long been burning, could no longer hold herself back. With a sharp cry, her body flashed. She arrived before Shi Yi in an instant, and her two-meter-long Serpent Cane came crashing down at his head. Its momentum was fierce, and his Soul Power carried a domineering aura as well.

Shi Yi neither dodged nor evaded, but his eyes did not remain idle. In an instant, his mind had analyzed Meng Yiran from top to bottom. Serpent Cane. Taking the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent as a reference, her first two Soul Rings should also have come from snake-type Soul Beasts. Snake-type Soul Beasts paired with a Weapon Soul Master would grant agility-enhancing skills or poison the Tool Soul. Her strength is average, her footsteps sink only shallowly into the ground, yet she kicks up too much dust. Her body control is average.

As the Serpent Cane descended, Shi Yi merely raised his hand slightly. A golden glow instantly enveloped it. The moment he caught the cane's head and felt Meng Yiran's forceful downward blow, he suddenly clenched hard, half-turned his body, and, beneath everyone's astonished gazes, lifted Meng Yiran and her cane into the air.

"How is that possible?!" Just as shock rose in Meng Yiran's heart, she felt a powerful force. In the next second, she and her cane were hurled away.

This is... using an opponent's strength against them from Disorder Splitting Wind? Senior Disciple Brother made a new Soul Tool? He can actually receive a Quasi-Soul Elder's full-force blow barehanded. A trace of surprise flashed through Tang San's calm eyes.

"Impressive strength, but what is that golden light in the boy's hand?" Zhao Wuji had not even had time to examine it carefully.

Hearing the piercing sound of Meng Yiran flying through the air, Zhao Wuji and Chao Tianxiang both inwardly realized something was wrong.

Golden light spread around Zhao Wuji's body, and his Fifth Soul Ring lit up in an instant. An invisible force immediately acted upon Meng Yiran.

Only with the cushioning effect of Zhao Wuji's control over Gravity did Meng Yiran land safely. Seeing this, Chao Tianxiang finally let out a breath of relief.

Meng Yiran stared at Shi Yi with a defeated expression. She had lost—to a level twenty-seven Soul Grandmaster. She did not even know how she had lost.

Snake Grandma Chao Tianxiang sighed and said to Zhao Wuji, "We lost. Thank you, Brother Zhao."

"You're too polite, Sister Chao. There are countless Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. If I weren't in a hurry to return to the academy tomorrow, I would certainly yield this mere thousand-year Soul Beast to you." Seeing Chao Tianxiang become polite, Zhao Wuji also responded in kind.

"Come, Yiran. Grandmother will find you another one." Chao Tianxiang said helplessly. Still, Zhao Wuji was right. Finding a suitable thousand-year Soul Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest was quite easy.

Meng Yiran did not respond. Her gaze remained fixed on Shi Yi. "You... what is your Martial Soul?"

Seeing the defeated look on the girl's face, Shi Yi scratched his head awkwardly. "Maybe I shouldn't say."

Meng Yiran said nothing, and her gaze did not leave Shi Yi. It was as though she were saying that if he did not tell her, she would not leave today.

Chao Tianxiang was also curious about Shi Yi's Martial Soul. What kind of Martial Soul allowed him to catch her granddaughter's full-force strike barehanded?

Seeing Meng Yiran remain silent, Shi Yi helplessly pointed toward Little Ant and the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. "That Thousand Jun Ant is my Martial Soul."

The grandmother and granddaughter both showed surprise. Yet Snake Grandma also found it somewhat natural. For someone of his age to display such strength, he had to be a Soul Master with a pure strength attribute.

"You didn't even use your Martial Soul..." the girl murmured, looking even more defeated.

"Well... it doesn't exactly count as not using it. My Soul Rings did give me a considerable boost, after all..." Shi Yi said, looking somewhat embarrassed.

The Shrek group looked at Shi Yi with strange expressions. For a moment, they could not tell whether he was comforting her or deliberately rubbing salt in the wound. It sounded as if his opponent had no Soul Rings.

"Enough, Yiran. It's getting late. We still need to continue searching for a Soul Ring." Chao Tianxiang quickly interrupted her granddaughter's wild thoughts.

"Brother Zhao, until we meet again." Chao Tianxiang hurriedly bid Zhao Wuji farewell. If they stayed any longer, she feared her granddaughter would have no idea how badly she might be crushed.

"Until we meet again." Zhao Wuji hurriedly cupped his fists in return.

Only then did Chao Tianxiang leap up with her granddaughter and vanish into the depths of the forest.

"Oscar, what are you standing around for?" Ning Rongrong urged Oscar, seeming eager to see what Soul Skill he would gain.

Oscar was overjoyed. He had waited far too long for this moment. He hurried over to the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent in a single step and unceremoniously plunged his blade into its vital spot.

Oscar sat down directly beside the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, raised his hand, and summoned his Big Sausage. Beneath a pale pink glow, he guided the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's Soul Ring into his body and began absorbing the third Soul Ring of his life.

Zhao Wuji glared at Shi Yi. "You brat, why don't you know any restraint? Good thing I have a control skill. If you'd done something to that little girl, just wait to be hunted down. You don't cause minor trouble—you go straight for hornets' nests."

Shi Yi looked helpless as he replied, "Weren't you the one who insisted I fight? I'm a Pure Strength Soul Master. This is how I fight. I didn't even dare use my Martial Soul. If something happened, that would have been your fault."

"Heh... you little bastard." Zhao Wuji glared at Shi Yi, but he had nothing to say in response.

Seeing Oscar absorb the Soul Ring, Shi Yi smiled at Little Ant. "Eat."

Little Ant began gnawing on the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's remains. Everyone wore surprised expressions as they watched it eat. It was their first time seeing a Martial Soul consume food.

"I never thought a Martial Soul could eat." Ning Rongrong said in surprise as she watched Little Ant.

"Since it's a living creature, of course it can eat." Shi Yi said with a smile.

"Then what's the use of Little Ant eating?" Ning Rongrong continued asking.

Shi Yi looked at Ning Rongrong as though she were an idiot. "To obtain energy, of course. Little Ant's condition isn't much different from a human's. Based on my years of research into Little Ant, its condition when it has not eaten and its condition after eating are completely different. And when Little Ant eats something suitable and valuable, it can even display signs of bloodline awakening and Martial Soul Evolution. My Martial Soul was originally only an ordinary ant, but it changed when Little Ant first ate a Thousand Jun Ant."

"Wouldn't that be like raising a Soul Beast that can evolve?" Zhu Zhuqing asked in surprise.

"You could understand it that way, but Martial Soul Evolution isn't so simple. Little Ant hasn't evolved for a long time since I absorbed my First Soul Ring." Shi Yi said softly. This was also why he had to find that Man Faced Demon Spider.

A Man Faced Demon Spider that could produce an External Soul Bone would not possess a weak bloodline power, much like a genius among humans.

By then, the sky was gradually darkening. Oscar had not finished absorbing the Soul Ring, so everyone could only set up camp where they were.

Little Ant possessed sensory abilities, so it stayed outside with Zhao Wuji to guard Oscar, while everyone else went into the tents to rest.

With nothing to do, Zhao Wuji began chatting with Shi Yi.

"Why didn't you, as his Senior Disciple Brother, plead for him during the day? Even if you aren't close, it shouldn't be to that extent, right?" Zhao Wuji asked doubtfully.

Shi Yi smiled faintly. "I'm someone who respects his teachers and values the Dao. Besides, whatever comes out of Xiao Wu's mouth feels normal to me. Letting her suffer a little is good too, so she won't bring trouble to Disciple Brother. You saw it too—my Disciple Brother is stubborn as a mule..."

Before Shi Yi could finish, Zhao Wuji interrupted him. He looked at Shi Yi suspiciously. "Stop trying to play clever in front of me. You're not telling the truth, are you? Don't tell me you have a grudge against Tang San."

Shi Yi smiled at that. "Clever is clever. What's with big or small? It was originally just a minor matter. Xiao Wu broke your rules, so she should apologize. Besides, would you, as a teacher, really do anything to them? If you truly went too far, then I suppose it would be my turn to plead for you. As for whether there is a grudge, you know that I see things clearly. My Disciple Brother is deeply calculating, and so am I. So I have never thought that I could ever get along with him. I have never wanted to accommodate others, nor do I want to change others."

"So you're a nonstick pan, huh? A lone wolf?" Zhao Wuji said irritably.

"Indeed. It seems I've always been alone." Shi Yi said with a trace of emotion.