But before long, Dugu Bo's expression turned somewhat awkward.
He had only come out this time to obtain his eighth Spirit Ring. His Soul Tool was packed full of equipment; how could he have expected to run into a junior?
For a moment, he could not even produce a proper gift, leaving him rather embarrassed.
That was simply the kind of person he was.
He could be cold to the extreme toward strangers, killing at the slightest disagreement, but toward those truly close to him, he would treat them with utter sincerity.
Wang Lie clearly knew Dugu Bo's personality and burst into laughter.
"Why are you panicking? We're old friends. Why bother over such trivialities? Come, Xiaochuan, greet him."
Wang Chuan then respectfully addressed Dugu Bo as Grandpa Dugu, making the latter feel a little embarrassed.
By then, the sun was already nearing dusk. Even if they continued traveling, they would not reach Soul Hunting Town.
After discussing it, Wang Lie and Dugu Bo decided not to continue on their way. They found a secluded spot nearby and planned to make do for the night.
Then, while the two reminisced about the past, Wang Chuan was sent out to find dinner.
Emmm... although my strength is comparable to an ordinary ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast, they really are carefree, sending a child like me out alone.
Wang Chuan grumbled inwardly, but his body honestly went hunting.
This place was already very close to the outskirts. After another stretch of travel tomorrow, they would reach Soul Hunting Town, so there truly were no ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts here.
Still, after Wang Chuan returned carrying a hundred-year Soft Bone Rabbit the size of a local dog, he felt that Dugu Bo's gaze toward him was rather strange. He had no idea what the two had discussed.
Naturally, the cooking fell to Wang Chuan as well.
Wang Lie and Dugu Bo were both traditional Spirit Masters with practically zero survival skills. If Wang Chuan did not want to eat something terrible, he could only do it himself.
During this time, Dugu Bo's gaze toward Wang Chuan grew increasingly satisfied. He even gave Wang Chuan a badge token bearing the mark of a Jade Phosphorous Serpent, telling him to seek Dugu Bo out whenever he needed help.
One did not dare refuse a gift from an elder, so Wang Chuan accepted it calmly.
During this time, Wang Chuan did not take the initiative to approach Dugu Bo and claim that he could help cure his poison. Instead, he behaved like an ordinary child facing an unfamiliar elder, maintaining an appropriate distance.
After all, he was not a medical student.
And Wang Chuan did not believe a place like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lacked powerful Spirit Beasts guarding it.
He was all too familiar with the trope of guardian beasts protecting treasures.
Moreover, that treasure-guarding Spirit Beast was definitely at Title Douluo level, perhaps even one of Sunset Forest's strongest ten-thousand-year beast kings.
Against such an existence, Wang Chuan would need strength comparable to a Title Douluo, or for Dugu Bo to break through to rank 90.
Only then, with Medusa's petrification and his eighth spirit skill, the utterly insidious Time Solidification, would they have a chance of dealing with it. For now, it was best not to even think about it. That would be courting death.
After a hearty meal, Wang Chuan, exhausted from the day, went straight to sleep.
As old friends who had not met for many years, Wang Lie and Dugu Bo had countless topics to discuss. Naturally, they took on the task of keeping watch, chatting through the night beside the fire.
The night passed without incident. With two Soul Douluo-level fighters standing watch, Wang Chuan slept soundly.
The next morning, the three set off once more toward Soul Hunting Town.
There were no mishaps along the way, and they arrived safely at Soul Hunting Town.
Wang Lie then quickly found buyers for the Spirit Rings of the two Spirit Beasts through the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's channels.
This was also a major source of income for some branch clan members who could not find satisfactory positions within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, so Wang Lie handled such matters with ease.
However, Wang Lie knew Wang Chuan's circumstances.
Thus, he did not tell Wang Chuan about this trade route. Instead, he explained other channels through which Wang Chuan could sell things for good prices.
In the end, thanks to their decent bloodlines, the two Spirit Beasts sold for thirty-two thousand Gold Soul Coins, giving Wang Chuan's little treasury a substantial boost.
With those matters settled, Wang Chuan's Spirit Beast hunting trip had finally come to an end.
After bidding farewell to Dugu Bo, the two returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's territory.
Among the thousands of clan members, Wang Chuan and Wang Lie's departure had not caused much of a stir.
Moreover, the Clan School was currently on its long holiday, so even fewer people noticed anything unusual about Wang Chuan.
Yet after Wang Chuan returned, some people noticed changes in him.
Absorbing a Spirit Ring promoted a Spirit Master's physical development. Wang Chuan had already been nearly one meter seventy tall, but now he had undergone explosive growth and was almost one meter eighty.
Still, as the saying went, one should not concern oneself with matters that did not affect oneself.
The elders could not bring themselves to seek trouble with Wang Chuan or shamelessly flatter the main branch, while the younger generation could not defeat him. Thus, no one went tattling.
But when Wang Chuan entered the Intermediate Clan School at thirteen, it caused a small commotion.
The main branch's members needed to build an especially solid foundation, so they did not attend the Primary Clan School. Whether it was Spirit Rings or anything else, someone would prepare everything for them.
But things were different at the Intermediate Clan School.
By that stage, they had already built their foundations. Yet for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's future operations, they needed to establish certain connections with the numerous branch clan members.
Therefore, they would deign to study alongside the branch members for six years.
As for the Advanced Clan School stage, there was no such arrangement.
After all, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had Thunder Academy under its command. That was where the main branch would next fight and make its name across the continent.
Thus, after Wang Chuan enrolled, the main branch members, who had already been quite curious about him, watched him every day as though he were a monkey in a cage.
They wanted to see what gave this branch member the right to defeat someone from their main branch.
However, no one chose to make a move.
The main branch member from before had not been among the strongest of them, but they were all Soul Grandmasters, and the gap in strength was not that great.
They did not want Wang Chuan to use them to pad his record.
Especially after seeing that Wang Chuan had clearly absorbed a Spirit Ring and grown even more physically imposing, none of the main branch members wanted to make fools of themselves.
Yet Wang Chuan paid no attention whatsoever to such trivial matters and continued tempering his body day after day.
But on top of his original routine, Wang Chuan added a new form of training.
Golden Scale Binding.
This was a muscle-building exercise in which Golden Scale wrapped around him like a Titan Golden Python, while Wang Chuan exerted strength to pull against it, tearing at his muscles from both sides.
Golden Scale's former puppy-sized body had naturally been unsuitable for this, but now they complemented each other perfectly.
Whenever Golden Scale returned to its true form, Wang Chuan could withstand twice the muscle damage. Once he recovered, his strength would rise another level, while the time required was only half of what it had been before. It was truly double the joy.
And all of this was seen clearly by Yu Xiaogang, who lacked the ability to enter Thunder Academy and could only remain in the clan territory.
Because of Wang Chuan, Yu Xiaogang had been severely beaten and confined for a period of time.
During that time, Yu Xiaogang had also thoroughly studied the foundational knowledge of Spirit Masters, fundamentally preventing his future clownish behavior.
Thus, as he watched Golden Scale, Yu Xiaogang's eyes reddened with envy.
Because Golden Scale's graceful form at this moment proved beyond doubt that Wang Chuan had chosen the right Spirit Ring!
Before you continue