Watching the two women square off, Feng Xinglie finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had actually noticed it when Zhu Zhuqing had faced the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent alone just moments ago. After yesterday's conversation, Zhu Zhuqing was now desperate to prove her strength, and that kind of thinking was deadly in Star Dou Forest. Now, an opportunity to help her untie that knot had practically been delivered right to her doorstep.
Among Soul Masters, the higher the level, the greater the gap between each rank. Put another way, the lower the level, the smaller the gap between ranks. Although Meng Yiran was two levels above her, she had yet to obtain her third Soul Ring, so her only real advantage was having more stamina. That meant a win would prove Zhu Zhuqing's strength, while a loss could be blamed on the difference in Soul Power. Either way, she had nothing to lose.
While Feng Xinglie's little scheme clicked away in his mind, the battle between the two women had already begun.
"Zhu Zhuqing, we're all Little Monsters of Shrek Academy. Don't let us down!"
"Right, show some spirit!"
Zhu Zhuqing ignored the classmates cheering behind her. With her Nether Civet Martial Soul possessed, she dropped to all fours and arched her back, gathering strength. Seeing this, Meng Yiran immediately understood what she intended to do. She stepped back and raised the Serpent Cane in her hand. The two held their ground, as if frozen in place, without making a move.
Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing sprang into action. The instant her body and breath fell perfectly in sync, she darted toward Meng Yiran. The granddaughter of Dragon Duke and Snake Granny was no pushover either. She lightly leaped backward, her large eyes fixed on Zhu Zhuqing's movements, while the raised Serpent Cane in her hand waited to strike. She aimed to bring it down the moment Zhu Zhuqing came within range and prepared to attack.
Unfortunately, when Zhu Zhuqing was just one step away from Meng Yiran, she abruptly skidded to a stop. She watched the Serpent Cane sweep past her eyes, then, as soon as it struck the ground, stepped forward and pinned it beneath her foot. At the same time, she raised a hand and held her sharp cat claws against Meng Yiran's slender throat.
"You were a worthy opponent."
After softly uttering those words, Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her Martial Soul and returned to the group. This time, when she met Feng Xinglie's gaze as he applauded, she puffed out her chest and smiled back at him.
"Yiran, don't be discouraged. You lost because of your lack of battle experience. Grandma will find you an even better Soul Beast."
Seeing her granddaughter lose, Chao Tianxiang accepted the wager gracefully. She gently comforted Meng Yiran and prepared to leave.
"Senior, please wait."
Just as they were about to go, Feng Xinglie's voice suddenly came from behind them.
"Senior Snake Crone, judging by the battle just now, Miss Yiran is a Power Attack System Soul Master who excels in combat. The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is a good Soul Beast, but its nature is too mild. I'm afraid it may not suit her very well. As it happens, I know a little about Star Dou Forest, and I've picked out some better Soul Beasts for you."
As he spoke, Feng Xinglie handed her a map. Chao Tianxiang took it and saw that it was covered in circles and markings indicating gathering places for various Soul Beasts. Beside each one were notes on the creature's traits and weaknesses. The Snake Crone's face first lit up with delight, then flushed red with shame and chagrin.
This child was considerate and polite, and he knew just what to say. He'd even returned the Soul Beast they'd already won. Not only had he refrained from bullying them with his superior strength, he'd also gifted them this valuable map after the match. By contrast, she'd thrust a spear at him without a word the moment they met, yet he hadn't held it against her at all.
"Ah, I'm really going backward with age. Young man, I was truly muddleheaded earlier. Please don't take it to heart. If you ever run into trouble, my old bones and I will definitely come help you out."
With this map, they could save a great deal of time that would otherwise have been wasted searching. It could even be said that most of Meng Yiran's future Soul Rings were now accounted for. Chao Tianxiang also realized that Feng Xinglie was far from as simple as he appeared. His Soul Ring Configuration was astonishing, and he even had such a detailed map of Soul Beast territory. She absolutely couldn't believe he had no powerful backing.
"You're too kind, Senior. I hope you find a more suitable Soul Beast."
Having made another good connection, Feng Xinglie watched the two leave. Then he turned to Oscar and said:
"All right, that settles everything. Little Ao, hurry up and— Oh, no! The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent?"
Everyone was startled and quickly turned around. The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had already breathed its last, and a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring floated above its corpse.
"This... it died from poison. It must have been the toxin on Chao Tianxiang's Serpent Cane."
Tang San, who was well versed in poisons, went over and examined the Soul Beast's corpse before speaking.
"Huh? So all that effort was for nothing?"
Hearing this, Oscar plopped down on the ground and said dejectedly.
"Don't be upset. Anything can happen during Soul Hunting. All that effort can come to nothing; it happens all the time. We just need to keep looking for a suitable Soul Beast. Feng Xinglie, you seemed to know Star Dou Forest pretty well just now. Why don't you lead the group this time?"
Seeing the group's spirits sink, Zhao Wuji was the first to step forward and encourage them. Since their teacher had said so, the others could only force themselves to keep going. They hadn't gone far when a deafening roar rang out.
"Everyone, be careful!"
The instant that mountain-like figure appeared, Zhao Wuji activated his Martial Soul Avatar and stepped in front of the others. Even the renowned Immovable Wisdom King had sweat beading across his forehead.
"Respected Titan Giant Ape, we mean no offense to your territory. We'll leave at once."
Though he didn't know why this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, which should have been deep in Star Dou Forest, had appeared on the outskirts, its power rivaled that of a Titled Douluo. Zhao Wuji couldn't muster the slightest will to fight. Yet the Titan Giant Ape seemed not to see Zhao Wuji standing in its way. It turned its head from side to side as if searching for something. When its gaze finally settled on Xiao Wu, it let out an excited roar and charged toward her.
"Dai Mubai, I'll hold it off! Get everyone out of here!"
Seeing the Titan Giant Ape charge toward the students, Zhao Wuji clenched his teeth and forced himself to meet it head-on. But the enormous gap in strength meant he was sent flying with a single blow. The Titan Giant Ape charged past without hindrance, grabbed Xiao Wu, and turned to race back toward the depths of the forest.
"Xiao Wu!"
Tang San roared and rushed after them. The Shrek group tried to stop him, but Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was far too strange, and the trees in the forest blocked their way. Within just a few breaths, Tang San had vanished from sight.
"Zhu Zhuqing, take some of Oscar's Recovery Sausages to help Teacher Zhao. Rongrong, gather everyone together and hide for now. I'll go after Tang San."
With everyone having lost their leader, Feng Xinglie issued a string of instructions, then darted off in the direction Tang San had disappeared. His movements weren't as exquisite as the Tang Sect Secret Arts, but the difference in Soul Power and his advantage in explosive speed kept him from falling far behind. As he ran, he calculated in his mind:
"So it still came to this? But this time, I've intervened. Tang San didn't fight Meng Yiran in that wager, and his Soul Power Level is still only twenty-nine. He also never got Oscar's flying Mushroom Sausage, and I used the map to lead Dragon Duke and Snake Granny away. He shouldn't run into that Man Faced Demon Spider again, right?"
Just as he thought this, a series of mechanical clicks came from up ahead. His expression immediately darkened.
"Talk about speaking of the devil... Is this the Child of Destiny's luck?"
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