"First Encounter with Yu Xiaogang"

A deep, resonant voice sounded from outside the carriage. Ye Qin and Hu Liena stepped out one after the other.

The one driving the carriage was Yang Qitian. Three years had passed, and aside from his Soul Power reaching level eighty-three, Yang Qitian had not changed in any other way.

"Monkey Yang, you've worked hard," Ye Qin said.

"To serve Your Highness is this old minister's duty!" Yang Qitian replied.

Ye Qin looked ahead and saw a vast forest before him.

Naturally, this Soul Hunting Forest was no different from the one outside Hagen Das Royal City.

"Nuoding City, Soul Hunting Forest..." Ye Qin murmured.

"Maybe I'll even run into Tang San."

In the original story, Tang San had stayed in Nuoding City for six years. Ye Qin was roughly the same age as Tang San, so Tang San should still be at Nuoding Academy.

"Monkey Yang, wait here for us and keep an eye on the carriage while you're at it," Ye Qin said to Yang Qitian.

"This..." Yang Qitian hesitated.

"When have you ever seen me in danger?" Ye Qin asked with a confident smile.

Thinking it over, Yang Qitian realized it was true. Over the past three years, Ye Qin seemed never to have encountered any danger. Even when danger arose, he always turned it aside with ease!

Of course, he had no idea that with Mina and Lucifer, two Titled Douluo, accompanying them, an Soul Douluo like Yang Qitian was little more than decoration!

"You all wait here as well!" Hu Liena ordered the Spirit Hall attendants.

Then Ye Qin and Hu Liena entered the Soul Hunting Forest side by side.

"Qin, have you decided on your second Spirit Ring?" Hu Liena asked.

"I'm planning to add a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring," Ye Qin replied.

"Ah, but the limit for a second Spirit Ring is a Hundred-Year Spirit Ring. Won't that be dangerous?" Hu Liena asked worriedly.

"Trust me. I can do it!" Ye Qin said confidently.

Over the past three years, Ye Qin's remarkable displays had constantly left Hu Liena astonished. Whether it was his intelligence, methods, or capability, she no longer regarded Ye Qin as a child at all.

Instead, she saw him as her true man, a man she could truly rely on!

"Fine, but if there's any danger, you have to stop in time!" Even so, Hu Liena was still somewhat uneasy.

"Got it!" Ye Qin could not help pinching Hu Liena's cheek. "It seems you haven't worn makeup for three years."

"Didn't you say... that I looked too gaudy with makeup on?" Hu Liena lowered her head, her voice carrying a trace of shyness.

Ye Qin was inexplicably moved. A casual remark of his had actually stayed with Hu Liena for three years!

Then Ye Qin swept Hu Liena into his arms.

"Ah, Qin, what are you doing?!" Hu Liena cried in surprise.

"Let me show you what speed is!"

As soon as Ye Qin finished speaking, he pushed Lingbo Weibu to its limit. With each step covering several yards, he sped toward the depths of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Back when he had been a Soul Grandmaster, Lingbo Weibu had already allowed him to surpass a Spirit King in speed. Now, he could even rival a Soul Emperor.

He covered ten kilometers in just one minute.

At that moment, countless purple vines suddenly shot out ahead of Ye Qin, winding toward him!

Ye Qin was startled at first, but quickly carried Hu Liena aside and dodged the vines' attack!

Soon, he set Hu Liena down and spotted a bizarre giant tree ahead.

The tree stood roughly eight meters tall, its entire body a dark purplish-black. Around its trunk were features resembling a human face!

"It's a Devil Spirit Tree!" Ye Qin said excitedly. "Eight meters tall... it looks to be around twelve hundred years old!"

"Qin, I'll help you!" At those words, two yellow and two purple Spirit Rings lit up beneath Hu Liena's feet!

Fox ears emerged from her head, while a fluffy tail extended from her proud backside!

"Liena, be careful!" Ye Qin did not refuse. Although only one Spirit Ring glowed beneath his feet!

Under the fusion of Soul Power and Internal Power, the aura he unleashed was no weaker than Hu Liena's, and perhaps even stronger.

This was not the first time Hu Liena had seen Ye Qin's powerful aura, so she was not surprised.

At that moment, seeing Ye Qin and Hu Liena strike back, the Thousand-Year Devil Spirit Tree became even more enraged!

Countless purple vines burst from its lush branches, stabbing toward the two like steel spikes!

"Second Soul Skill, Heavenly Fox Fire Rain!" Hu Liena's gaze sharpened, and the instant her Spirit Ring lit up, her body rose into the air!

Countless fireballs gathered around her and shot toward the steel spikes!

Fire was devastatingly effective against plant-type spirit beasts!

Under the fireballs' assault, half the steel spikes were reduced to ashes!

At the same time, Ye Qin used Lingbo Weibu, evading every strike with his extraordinary footwork. Then, with black light wrapped around his fist, he smashed it down on the Devil Spirit Tree's left eye!

Having thoroughly studied the Compendium of Spirit Beasts, Ye Qin knew the weaknesses and habits of these spirit beasts like the back of his hand!

The left eye was the Devil Spirit Tree's fatal weakness!

After that blow, the spirit tree let out a mournful howl like a ferocious beast before withering away!

Immediately afterward, a purple Spirit Ring lit up from within its body!

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Just then, applause sounded from behind Ye Qin.

Ye Qin and Hu Liena frowned as they turned to look, only to discover a tall figure standing there.

The man appeared to be around forty or fifty years old. He had short black hair parted seven to three, an utterly ordinary appearance, and an unusual air about him. Whenever his eyes opened and closed, they carried a sense of laziness and decadence!

Ding! A special person, Yu Xiaogang, has been encountered. Hidden Check-in Quest issued: Refuse to acknowledge Yu Xiaogang as your master and obtain one Dragon God Claw Fragment, a Super Divine Artifact! Note: Collect all sixteen fragments to synthesize the Super Divine Artifact!

"Yu Xiaogang?" Ye Qin's smile darkened.

Leaving aside the system's instruction to refuse him as a master, even without the system, Ye Qin believed that no one on the entire Douluo Continent was qualified to be his master!

What was more, Ye Qin could not say that he hated Yu Xiaogang, but he definitely did not have a favorable impression of him either!

"Sharp methods and precise judgment. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, it would be difficult to believe that such methods could come from a child in his teens!" Yu Xiaogang praised Ye Qin lavishly.

"Who are you?" Before Ye Qin could speak, Hu Liena frowned.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yu Xiaogang. They all call me Grandmaster!" Yu Xiaogang said with slight confidence. "Which academy in Nuoding City are you two from? Why have I never seen you before?"

"You're Yu Xiaogang?" Hu Liena asked in surprise.

As Bibi Dong's disciple and a Spirit Hall Saintess Candidate, how could Hu Liena not know this so-called "Grandmaster"?

"That is correct!" Yu Xiaogang replied calmly.