Meng Yiran vs. Ye Buqun!

Star Dou Great Forest, outskirts.

At the boy's words, Chao Tianxiang's expression finally changed.

At that moment, the girl beside her spoke up as well. "Hey, stop spouting so much nonsense. We found this Ice Dual-Winged Serpent first. If we hadn't injured its wings first, would you have been able to capture it so easily? My grandmother is speaking nicely to you out of courtesy, but I don't have such a good temper. Move aside, now!"

As she spoke, she pointed the small Serpent Cane in her hand at Ye Buqun, assuming a stance ready to attack at any moment.

Chao Tianxiang's tone also turned unfriendly. "Move aside immediately, or don't blame this old woman for being impolite."

Ye Buqun's expression remained unchanged. "Listen, the Star Dou Great Forest, including all the soul beasts within it, isn't anyone's private property. What you said may be true—you may have discovered this Ice Dual-Winged Serpent first—but don't forget that we were the ones who ultimately subdued it. If you insist on putting it that way, aren't you being rather unreasonable? It may suit your granddaughter, but it also suits this friend of mine. If you want to fight, I'll accompany you to the end."

At this point, Doudou was clearly a little frightened. She stepped forward and lightly poked Ye Buqun twice, whispering into his ear, "Why don't we just forget it? They did discover it first. How about we go look for another one?"

Ye Buqun told her not to worry. He would handle it.

How could Doudou not worry? Although she knew Ye Buqun was very strong, the Peerless Dragon Snake were certainly not to be taken lightly. Fighting them would likely bring nothing but harm. So she gathered her courage and stepped forward. "Senior Snake Granny, I know well of your and Senior Dragon Duke's great reputations. But you are, after all, a Soul Saint. If you rashly attacked two juniors like us, wouldn't word of it damage your reputation?"

Dragon Duke and Snake Granny were renowned throughout the Soul Master World. They were figures of stature who maintained an upright public image. In Chao Tianxiang's eyes, Ye Buqun was at most a Soul Elder at his age. Just as Doudou had said, if Snake Granny personally made a move, she would certainly win—but if word spread afterward, it would surely tarnish their reputation.

The only solution would be to kill the two children and silence them forever. That way, they could preserve their reputation while also obtaining the soul ring.

Yet Chao Tianxiang seemed somewhat reluctant. They were only two children. And if she killed them just like that, how great a psychological shadow would it cast over her granddaughter, who was herself in the bloom of youth? Would she really silence others merely to preserve her reputation? Her granddaughter would surely grow into someone unscrupulous and hypocritical.

Chao Tianxiang was actually still kind-hearted. Otherwise, she would not have tried to reason politely with these two mere children from the very beginning. An ordinary person would never have had that patience and would have attacked long ago. Besides, the gap in their levels was so vast that killing them would be like crushing two ants.

After carefully considering it, Chao Tianxiang found that Doudou's words were not without reason. After pondering for a long while, she said, "Fine. This old woman will not bully the young. Since you are still young, I will yield to you. However, neither side can decide who this soul ring belongs to. Let us settle it with strength, according to the rules of soul masters."

Seeing that Chao Tianxiang did not harbor overly malicious intentions, Ye Buqun responded politely as well. "Senior, what rules do you have in mind?"

Chao Tianxiang continued, "Since both sides contributed to hunting this Ice Dual-Winged Serpent, let strength determine who this soul ring belongs to. That way, you cannot accuse this old woman of being unfair, can you? If your friend defeats my granddaughter, this old woman will leave immediately with her. Otherwise, this soul ring will go to my granddaughter."

This was already quite fair.

Yet Ye Buqun said, "Senior, I'm afraid that won't work."

Anger appeared on Meng Yiran's pretty face. "Hey! Do you even know how to be reasonable? My grandmother has already shown you plenty of respect! Grandma, I say we stop wasting words on them and attack directly! Even if Grandpa isn't here, they definitely aren't our opponents!"

As Meng Yiran spoke, she prepared to attack again.

Ye Buqun said, "It isn't that I'm refusing to show you respect. Although my friend is a Soul Grandmaster, neither of her first two soul rings grants combat skills. To be precise, she cannot even be considered a combat soul master right now. That is why we especially need this soul ring."

Chao Tianxiang's expression darkened as well. "Then what do you mean?"

Ye Buqun said, "I'll be your granddaughter's opponent. How about it?"

Chao Tianxiang asked, "Then what level are you?"

Ye Buqun smiled. "What level do I look like to you? How about we add another condition? I won't use my martial soul or soul rings. If I lose, I'll leave immediately."

That statement carried a great deal of information. First, Ye Buqun looked younger than both Doudou and Meng Yiran, so in Chao Tianxiang's eyes, his Soul Power could at most be at the Soul Grandmaster level. Second, a mere Soul Grandmaster daring to fight another Soul Grandmaster without using his martial soul or soul rings was indeed so arrogant that it bordered on courting death.

That made Meng Yiran and her grandmother even more confident. They had desperately wanted this soul ring to begin with. No matter how they looked at it, this was a proposal with everything to gain and nothing to lose. Since he had made such a request himself, they could not be blamed.

"Fine. Since that is the case, this old woman agrees," Chao Tianxiang promptly accepted.

"Don't worry. We're definitely taking this soul ring." Ye Buqun patted Doudou's fragrant shoulder, whispered something in her ear, then stepped forward and stood facing Meng Yiran.

Fourteen- or fifteen-year-old Meng Yiran's figure had already developed nearly to perfection, even slightly surpassing Doudou's. Her beautiful light-brown eyes were framed by long lashes, her chest was full and ample, and her waist slender. Though anger still lingered on her face, her fighting spirit had not diminished in the slightest.

A gentle breeze blew past, carrying her faint fragrance through the air.

"Brat, you brought this on yourself. Don't blame this young lady for showing no mercy!"

After hearing that Ye Buqun would not use his martial soul or Soul Power, Chao Tianxiang and her granddaughter felt even more certain of victory and more confident of obtaining the soul ring. Yet Meng Yiran also felt completely underestimated.

Do I really look that weak?

This young lady possesses both beauty and strength!

With that thought, Meng Yiran gripped her staff with both hands. Her figure flashed, carrying a fragrant gust of wind as the Serpent Cane smashed down toward Ye Buqun's head.

No matter who said it, Meng Yiran was undeniably a great beauty. Her figure looked slender, even somewhat delicate and pitiful. But once she moved, she seemed like an entirely different person, her eyes filled with sharpness—