Snake Dowager Chao Tianxiang

After the sound faded, two figures streaked from the direction the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had come from: an old woman and a beautiful young girl.

Everyone looked. The old woman had white hair and appeared to be in her sixties or seventies, but her complexion was ruddy, and her face had few wrinkles.

She held a serpent-head staff, and six Soul Rings floated around her body.

The other girl had a slender figure, clad in tight-fitting combat gear that emphasized her well-developed curves. She also held a serpent-head staff, but she only had two Soul Rings.

Seeing that the old woman was merely a Soul Emperor, the crowd couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. However, a sense of surprise immediately arose in their hearts. They hadn't expected to casually encounter a Soul Emperor-level expert in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Unbeknownst to them, as the old woman rushed towards them, her heart sank. Although Zhao Wuji hadn't activated his Martial Soul Avatar yet, she could already sense the Soul Power fluctuations emanating from him. He was at least a Soul Emperor, possibly even a Soul Sage, she guessed.

Zhao Wuji glanced at the serpent-head staff and couldn't help but frown slightly. His tone suddenly softened considerably. "May I ask what brings you here?"

At the same time, Zhao Wuji strategically revealed his Soul Rings. Seven Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet, and a wave of Soul Power naturally spread outwards.

In the world of Soul Masters, strength was the most convincing argument.

As expected, upon seeing Zhao Wuji's seven Soul Rings, the old woman's pupils constricted sharply, and her attitude immediately softened. She said softly, "Greetings, esteemed Soul Sage. Could you please give this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent to this child?"

As she spoke, she moved aside to reveal the girl behind her. The girl was looking at the Shrek group with curiosity in her deep brown eyes.

"Brother Dai, this girl is even prettier than Canghui's," Ma Hongjun said, his eyes shining as he stared at the girl, almost drooling.

"Don't cause trouble. This situation isn't simple," Dai Mubai advised in a low voice.

"What's so complicated? The other side is just a Soul Emperor," Ma Hongjun scoffed, glancing at the old woman.

"If it were really just a simple Soul Emperor, would Teacher Zhao be wasting his breath?!" Dai Mubai couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Ma Hongjun froze, then quickly shut his mouth. That's right, if she were just a Soul Emperor, would Teacher Zhao, with his temper, be talking to her like this?

Zhao Wuji gave Oscar a look, signaling him to wait, then asked the old woman, "Why?"

"Because we discovered this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent first and began hunting it. It's just that this little thing was too slippery, and we weren't paying attention, allowing it to escape."

Upon hearing this, Tang San instinctively crouched down to examine the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. A look of surprise then appeared on his face, and he subtly signaled Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji understood. If he handed over the prey that the brats had painstakingly hunted down based on mere words, he wouldn't be able to show his face at Shrek Academy.

"I haven't asked for your esteemed name and surname yet," Zhao Wuji asked coldly.

The old woman's expression gradually stiffened, knowing that she likely wouldn't get her way today.

"I am Chao Tianxiang. Friends in the Soul Master world affectionately call me Snake Dowager. My husband is Meng Shu, known as the Dragon Duke. We came to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a third Soul Ring for my granddaughter. I implore you to lend us a hand and fulfill our wish."

Zhao Xuan narrowed his eyes. This old woman probably wasn't easy to deal with. Judging by Teacher Zhao's expression, he must have something he was wary of, likely related to the Dragon Duke.

Indeed, after hearing Chao Tianxiang's words, Zhao Wuji's expression clearly darkened. He held back the somewhat anxious Oscar and said solemnly, "I didn't expect it to be the Snake Dowager of the Peerless Dragon Snake. We are truly honored."

Chao Tianxiang bowed gracefully. "Not at all. May I know your esteemed name?"

"Zhao Wuji."

"Zhao Wuji? The Immovable King Zhao Wuji? I was wondering where such a young Soul Sage came from," the Snake Dowager's expression changed again, and she said with a wry smile.

However, despite her apprehension towards Zhao Wuji, the Snake Dowager was not afraid. She immediately got to the point. "I am a bit older than you, so I'll take the liberty of calling you Brother Zhao. Brother Zhao, this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is extremely important to my granddaughter. She is level thirty, and her Martial Soul is a serpent-head staff. We discovered this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent first, but it unfortunately slipped away. Could Brother Zhao do us a favor and let us have this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent? We will surely reward you handsomely in the future."

Zhao Wuji chuckled. "Big sister, that won't do. We happen to have someone here who has also broken through to level thirty, and these young ones captured it. It's not appropriate for me to speak for them."

"What a lame excuse! You just don't want to return it, do you?! Could they really capture a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent? I bet they haven't even reached the Soul Grand Master level," the girl beside Chao Tianxiang said indignantly. Even she had to rely on others; how could these young boys capture a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent?

"Ying'er!"

Chao Tianxiang pulled the girl's arm. She naturally didn't believe Zhao Wuji would lie to her about something like this. She looked at the Shrek group with surprise and spoke.

"You're saying someone here has broken through to level thirty?" Although she asked this, her gaze involuntarily fell upon Dai Mubai, the oldest among them.

After all, the Shrek group was very young, most of them around twelve or thirteen years old. Only Dai Mubai was a bit older.

Even so, Chao Tianxiang found it incredible. This boy, who looked to be fifteen or sixteen, had a talent even greater than her granddaughter's?

Zhao Wuji's lips curled. "If senior doesn't believe me, why not see for yourself? Shrek, activate your Soul Rings!"

At Zhao Wuji's command, the nine Shrek members activated their Soul Rings. Instantly, circles of Soul Rings appeared one after another as if they were free.

Suddenly, Chao Tianxiang and the girl's eyes widened, as if they had seen something unbelievable.

How was this possible?

Soul Grand Master, Soul Grand Master… Soul Elder! Soul Elder!

Seven of these nine children were Soul Grand Masters! And the boy she thought had broken through to level thirty, along with another younger boy, were Soul Elders?!

She couldn't believe it, but the facts forced her to. Every boy and girl here possessed greater talent than her granddaughter. If it were just one, it might be explainable, but this was a whole group!

Chao Tianxiang's face was filled with bitterness. She sighed, "Your academy is truly filled with geniuses."

"Haha, not at all, not at all..." Zhao Wuji said humbly, but his expression was extremely smug.

"Child, how old are you?" Chao Tianxiang suddenly asked Zhao Xuan.

"I turned twelve a few months ago," Zhao Xuan replied indifferently. Tang San was born in January, and he was five months younger than Tang San, so he had only been twelve for two months.

"Twelve?"

Chao Tianxiang trembled, and the girl beside her also looked dejected, clearly deeply shocked.

Taking a deep breath, a look of deep apprehension appeared in Chao Tianxiang's eyes. This batch of young men and women, once they mature, will at least be Soul Sages, and some might even reach the level of Title Douluo.

She cast a deep glance at Zhao Xuan, but she wasn't willing to give up easily either, as the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was indeed very suitable for her granddaughter.

"Then who is it that has broken through level thirty?" Chao Tianxiang's attitude softened slightly.

"Oscar, you're up."

Zhao Wuji yanked Oscar out from behind him. The kid had been so scared of a conflict that he'd hidden behind him early on.

Pulled out, Oscar gave a dry laugh. "Greetings, Senior Snake Dowager."

Although this young man before her was a bit strange, with overly abundant hair, her sharp eyes could tell he wasn't very old.

Chao Tianxiang nodded, then suggested to Zhao Wuji, "Since we can't resolve this, why not leave it to the juniors to settle it themselves?"

"You mean...?" Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered with strangeness.

"They're all stuck at level thirty. Let them spar to decide the winner," Chao Tianxiang explained. In her opinion, her suggestion was excellent and fair.

"Ahem." Zhao Wuji coughed twice.

"Elder Sister Chao, I'm afraid that won't be possible."

Chao Tianxiang frowned, a hint of anger on her face. She slammed her snake-head staff onto the ground.

"Bang!"

"Zhao Wuji! Do you think I'm easy to bully because my old man isn't here?"

"That's not it, Elder Sister Chao! My student is a Support System Soul Master," Zhao Wuji said with a sheepish grin.

"What?!" Chao Tianxiang was stunned again.