Encounter

After resting for a while, Ziji picked up Su Chen and headed out with him.

Perhaps because of her powerful aura, the vast majority of Soul Beasts along the way kept their distance from Ziji.

Even plant-type Soul Beasts only regretted not having grown two extra legs.

"Let's do it here. I'll take a bath first."

Arriving at a calm lake, Su Chen decided to soak for a while.

"I'll wait here, then. Where are we going afterward?"

Ziji set Su Chen down and moved aside to wait.

"Ziji? Why did you come out with this human?"

An angry voice descended from the sky, echoing through the air for a long time without fading.

In an instant, overwhelming pressure bore down on them, making even the flowers, grass, and trees seem as though they were about to wither.

"I've successfully reconstructed his body. I only brought him out to wash up."

The newcomer was a massive black dragon. Before him, even Ziji seemed tiny.

That was right—this fellow was the Golden Eyed Black Dragon King, Di Tian.

"Is that all?"

He lowered his head and stared intently at Su Chen.

Di Tian was somewhat suspicious. He always felt that something was off.

At such close range, Su Chen could even feel the hot air from Di Tian's breath.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid.

If Di Tian found out about his current situation with Ziji, he would probably want to tear Su Chen into eight pieces.

"What else would it be? What do you think it should be?"

Ziji snapped back without the slightest politeness.

"I don't want to meddle in your affairs, but I'm warning you not to do anything inappropriate."

His last few exchanges with Ziji had all been unpleasant. Di Tian understood that continuing to argue over this would only make their relationship more strained.

So he left behind a warning.

Then he departed.

"Who does he think he is? He was only born a few tens of thousands of years before me. What's so impressive about that?"

Di Tian's superior attitude left Ziji deeply displeased.

Only after confirming that Di Tian had gone far away did she spit out a few more curses in the direction he had left.

"Alright, don't get angry with him."

After Di Tian's interruption, Su Chen naturally no longer felt like bathing.

"Next, you're taking me to a human town to buy clothes, right?"

After being away for several years, Su Chen could hardly wait to go home and take a look.

Whether it was Skywater Academy or Spirit Hall, both places held memories that could never be erased.

"Let's go."

After Di Tian threw out those threatening words, Ziji's mood was no better either.

She immediately picked up Su Chen and flew toward the outskirts of the forest.

"Are those... humans?"

Soon, the man and dragon spotted a group of uninvited visitors on the forest's outskirts.

At the front was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties. His appearance was ordinary, but his build was exceptionally sturdy. Though he was not tall, he gave off a powerful and imposing impression.

Every step he took was accompanied by thick Soul Power fluctuations. It was obvious that this man's cultivation was not low.

His broad shoulders were like city walls, and his outer coat could not conceal the powerful muscles beneath, as though they had been forged from steel.

At first glance, he appeared amiable, but a fierce aura showed through between his brows.

"He looks like an assault-type Soul Master."

With that sort of appearance, he was generally either an assault-type or defense-type Soul Master.

Judging from the sense of oppression he gave off, he did not seem like the defensive type.

"Yes, this human's cultivation is quite good. If he were a Soul Beast, he would be at the level of several tens of thousands of years."

Ziji also expressed approval of the man.

Whether human or Soul Beast, reaching such a realm of cultivation was no easy feat.

A much younger boy followed behind him.

His long golden hair flowed down his back, reaching nearly to his waist.

The most unusual thing about him was his eyes. This kid was a legendary double-pupiled person.

His eyes were sinister, with twin pupils in each. His dark-blue gaze carried a chill that came from the depths of his heart, and evil light flickered from his half-lidded eyes.

His breathing was steady as he walked. He looked a few years younger than Su Chen.

Among those his age, his cultivation was undoubtedly outstanding.

"Mubai. You're the most talented student our academy has recruited. Today, I've brought you to find your first Soul Ring. We must find the most suitable one. That was the Grandmaster's instruction."

The burly man walking ahead spoke.

"Su Chen."

"Hm?"

Eavesdropping on the conversation between the two, Su Chen had already understood their identities.

"I think that kid is about the same size as you. I can save the money for your clothes."

"Should we make a move now, or watch a little longer?"

They were only stripping him of his clothes, not taking his life.

Su Chen did not object to that.

Even if he had money, going into town naked like this to buy clothes would still feel rather strange.

"Let's watch a little longer."

Soul Masters hunting Soul Beasts was an unavoidable part of their path.

Because Soul Masters could only break through by absorbing Soul Rings, conflict between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts was inevitable.

The current Ziji was not yet one of the Ferocious Beasts of Douluo Continent's third era. Although she would not interfere with people hunting Soul Beasts in the great forest.

"But a suitable Soul Ring won't be easy to find."

Before they came, the Grandmaster had specifically written out a list.

It listed the possible locations of several kinds of Soul Beasts, along with their appearances and methods for estimating their ages.

"We have to find one even if it's difficult. We'll search one by one."

Before coming here, Flender and the others had given special instructions.

If they could choose the best, then they had to choose the best.

After all these years, Shrek Academy had finally managed to trick a genius like Dai Mubai into joining them.

As for Zhu Zhuqing, that girl was bound to Dai Mubai.

If Dai Mubai was ruined, then Zhu Zhuqing would amount to nothing as well.

Therefore, for Dai Mubai's first Soul Ring, they had to do everything possible to choose the best one.

"A hundred-year Gold Cat. I think we can try killing this one."

Gold Cats were a very common type of metal-element feline Soul Beast and were fairly compatible with Dai Mubai.

However, it was not the optimal choice. At best, it could only serve as a backup.

Even so, Zhao Wuji did not hesitate to punch it, leaving it at death's door.

This type of Soul Beast transformed its cultivation into a gold coin on top of its head. The higher its cultivation, the larger the coin. One had to know that this was the same as pure gold.

Even just removing the gold coin from its body could earn them a great deal of money.

That was Zhao Wuji's main reason for attacking. After all, Shrek Academy truly lacked money.

As Dai Mubai snapped the Gold Cat's neck, Zhao Wuji pried the gold coin from its head.

"According to the Grandmaster, this one should only be around a hundred years old. It's useless. Next."

Casually tossing the corpse aside, Zhao Wuji continued searching for his next target.

After all, he had once been infamous throughout the Soul Master world.