Tang San stared dumbfounded at the familiar heap of mush, too shocked to speak.
The dignified King of the Forest, the Titan Giant Ape, had actually been killed in a single move!
Tang San wasn't the only one. Zhao Wuji and the others were all dumbstruck, their faces filled with shock.
"Is this Huazi's true strength? The Titan Giant Ape couldn't even withstand one move!"
Zhao Wuji recalled Lan Minghua's battle with Tang Hao that night. So the latter had been holding back.
Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch seemed to have been immobilized by some mysterious force, frozen on the spot.
Dragon Duke's normally robust body now trembled violently, like a candle flickering in the wind.
His eyes were so wide they looked ready to pop out of their sockets.
Snake Matriarch's face was even paler, as white as a sheet, without a trace of color.
Her lips quivered nonstop, and the few teeth she had left chattered against each other.
Lan Minghua descended from the sky and said to Tang San, "So, you were saying I couldn't beat this little ape?"
Tang San slumped to the ground, never having imagined that Lan Minghua could be this powerful.
Suddenly, he thought of something and cried out frantically, "Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu didn't die too, did she?!"
Zhao Wuji was stunned. After an attack that powerful, Xiao Wu would have been reduced to nothing—not to mention that she was only a Soul Grandmaster. Even he would have been left without a corpse.
The others also stared at Lan Minghua in terror, wanting to know the answer.
Lan Minghua wasn't in the habit of doing anything underhanded. He replied calmly, "Didn't I tell you already? She's fine. She'll probably be back soon."
The others didn't dare say a word. Whatever he said went.
Lan Minghua knew they'd misunderstood him, but couldn't be bothered to explain.
After all, if Xiao Wu didn't come back, he really would have become the murderer who killed the "rabbit."
Lan Minghua didn't dwell on it. He turned to look at Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch.
"So, what do you say? Are you still going to fight me for the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent?"
Fight him for it? With what? Their heads?
Dragon Duke's face was ashen.
He'd thought the other man was about his equal, but he hadn't expected Lan Minghua to be a Titled Douluo.
They'd been so rude to a Titled Douluo. Even if he killed them, they could only swallow their pride and accept it.
Meng Yiran was a little proud, but she understood the situation.
She tugged at Dragon Duke's clothes and said softly, "Grandpa, I don't want the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent anymore. Let's leave, quickly."
Dragon Duke gave a bitter smile. Even if they wanted to leave now, they had to wait and see what Lan Minghua thought.
Leaving without a word would be disrespectful.
How could your Exotic Beast Family be so arrogant as to disrespect a Titled Douluo?
Lan Minghua had clearly heard Meng Yiran. She wasn't a little demoness like Ning Rongrong.
She was a bit proud, but reaching level thirty at sixteen meant her talent was decent.
And she gave a good impression, too. At the very least, there didn't seem to be anything seriously wrong with her character.
Lan Minghua silently said, System, check Meng Yiran's talent score.
[Name: Meng Yiran.] [Age: Sixteen.] [Martial Soul: Snake Head Crutch.] [Soul Power: Level 30.] [System Talent Score: 81.]
"Only 81? Compared to the protagonist group, her talent really is a little lacking."
Lan Minghua wasn't surprised. In Douluo Continent Season 1, there weren't many people whose talent matched that of the Shrek Seven Devils.
Among their peers, perhaps only Feng Xiaotian, Shui Bing'er, and Huo Wu from the Elemental Academies, along with the Golden Generation from Spirit Hall, had talent on par with the protagonist group.
Meng Yiran's System Talent Score was over 80, which already made her a genius.
Lan Minghua stepped forward and asked softly, "Are you still going to fight for it?"
Dragon Duke smiled ingratiatingly. "Your Excellency must be joking. Since it's a Soul Beast your disciple has taken a liking to, how would this old man dare covet it?"
Snake Matriarch chimed in as well. "This old woman was blind. Please don't take what I just said to heart, Your Excellency. I'll slap myself right now."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and swung it toward her own face.
Just as her palm was about to land, an unseen force held it in place.
"That's enough. Don't let it happen again."
Lan Minghua stepped forward and looked at the three of them. "It's not impossible to give you the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, but you'll have to agree to one condition."
Dragon Duke wouldn't dare bargain. He replied respectfully, "What does Your Excellency want? If it's within my power, I'll do it without hesitation."
Lan Minghua pointed at Meng Yiran. "Your granddaughter has good talent. Let her become my disciple, and the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent will be her Third Soul Ring."
"Huh?!"
Everyone present was stunned. Was this really how things were supposed to go?
Shouldn't Lan Minghua have squeezed Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch for all they were worth, then given them the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent?
How had it suddenly turned into taking on a disciple?
At the words "good talent," Zhao Wuji's mouth twitched.
Not to brag, but when it came to talent, which of the Shrek Seven Students wasn't better than Meng Yiran?
What Zhao Wuji didn't know was that talent wasn't the only thing Lan Minghua considered when taking on disciples.
Dragon Duke was stunned, then overcome with joy.
He never expected such a windfall to fall into his granddaughter's lap so suddenly.
"Yiran, hurry up and perform the disciple's bow!"
Meng Yiran was dumbfounded. This wasn't how she'd imagined things would go.
But becoming the disciple of a Titled Douluo who could kill a Titan Giant Ape in one move was a deal she couldn't lose.
She immediately knelt before Lan Minghua and kowtowed three times.
She said respectfully, "Master!"
Lan Minghua nodded slightly. "Mm. From now on, you're my disciple."
Then he turned to Oscar. "Oscar, why haven't you given the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent to your junior sister?"
Oscar looked ready to cry. "Master, wasn't this the Third Soul Ring you picked out for me? Now that I have a junior sister, you've already forgotten about me?"
"Stop whining and give the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent to your junior sister. I already found a more suitable Soul Beast for you. Keep it up and I'll give you a thrashing!"
Hearing that Lan Minghua had already found him a more suitable Soul Beast, Oscar changed his tune in an instant.
He dragged the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent over to Meng Yiran and said with a grin, "Third Junior Sister, I'm your eldest senior brother. I'm fourteen this year, and I'm level thirty too."
Then he pointed to Zhu Zhuqing and introduced her. "That's your Second Senior Sister, Zhu Zhuqing. She's twelve this year and a level-twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster."
Meng Yiran's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpricks. She hadn't expected that Oscar, who looked a little sleazy, was already level thirty—and two years younger than her.
Her Second Senior Sister, Zhu Zhuqing, was four years younger than Meng Yiran, yet had reached level twenty-nine at just twelve.
She'd thought that reaching level thirty at sixteen made her a genius. Compared to Oscar and the others, she was nothing.
Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch were also shocked. These children's talents were all terrifying.
If they really offended them, they'd have to live on edge in the future.
Lan Minghua glanced at Oscar and cut him down. "When did I say she was my third disciple?"
"Huh? Isn't she?" Oscar stared wide-eyed, pointing at himself, Zhu Zhuqing, and Meng Yiran. "Aren't there only three of us?"
"You have a third junior brother, too. You should meet him before long. Just don't let him scare you when you do."
Of course, your third junior brother—your Third Senior Brother—was a Titled Douluo.
Lan Minghua said to Meng Yiran, "Oscar and Zhuqing are your eldest senior brother and Second Senior Sister. You also have a Third Senior Brother. If you can't bring yourself to call them that, just use their names."
Meng Yiran was older than Oscar and the others, after all. Asking her to call people younger than her senior brother and senior sister was a bit much.
Suddenly, Ning Rongrong, who had been silent all this time, stepped forward.
"Um, Teacher Lan, I want to become your disciple too. Please take me on as well!"
As she spoke, Ning Rongrong was about to kneel and pay her respects.
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