Qian Yu, You've Got No Honor

"Not bad luck, a Golden Armored Earth Crocodile around 400 years old." As a Limit Douluo, Qian Daoliu had long since marked the spirit beasts suitable for the three of them.

He had paused to let them ask questions precisely to wake this slumbering Golden Armored Earth Crocodile. Originally, Qian Daoliu had intended for them to fight amongst themselves to stir the beast.

However, the sound from Qian Yu's gun was truly deafening; the sleeping Golden Armored Earth Crocodile was startled awake by the violent gunshot and, blinded by rage, immediately charged to attack Qian Yu and the others.

The three of them held their breath as they watched.

A golden light tumbled from the ditch, and the century-old Golden Armored Earth Crocodile crouched on the slope. Its entire body was covered in a layer of gilded, angular scales as hard as refined iron, its vertical pupils were as cold as quenched gold, and its short snout revealed sharp, chilling teeth.

"Oh no, it's a 400-year-old Golden Armored Earth Crocodile." Qian Renxue was worthy of being the one who had followed Qian Daoliu the longest; her theoretical knowledge was extremely rich, and she recognized the spirit beast at a glance. It was a solitary, territorial, and extremely fierce century-old beast found on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Upon hearing it was the most suitable spirit beast for him, Jin Guang's eyes lit up, his mind already calculating how to turn this beast into his first spirit ring.

Qian Yu and Qian Renxue, however, furrowed their brows.

There was still a gap between theory and reality; when they truly felt the formidable aura of the 400-year-old Golden Armored Earth Crocodile, both of them couldn't help but gasp.

"Xiao Xue, you stay airborne to harass and attack."

"Jin Guang, you are responsible for close-quarters combat."

But quickly, Qian Yu displayed the composure of a special forces king, and after a brief thought, he had already devised a strategy.

"Not bad." Qian Daoliu, hiding nearby, couldn't help but stroke his beard and nod repeatedly.

"Why me? Why do I have to be the meat shield?" Jin Guang was clearly unconvinced.

"Do as you're told. If you act like this again, I'll take Brother Qian Yu and fly away." Qian Renxue had no patience for Jin Guang.

As she spoke, she prepared to fly off with Qian Yu.

"I'll do it, I'll do it." Looking at the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile mere inches away, Jin Guang bit the bullet and summoned his martial soul: "Come forth, Golden Crocodile King." A phantom of a dark gold crocodile head manifested behind him, its scales like cast iron and its jaws gleaming with cold light. As the martial soul was released, Jin Guang's body grew larger, and his defense and attack power increased accordingly.

Gritting his teeth, Jin Guang charged forward to engage the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile in close combat.

Seeing Jin Guang comply, Qian Renxue took flight, drew a small sword from her person, and then rushed toward the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile at high speed.

The small sword struck the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile, sparks flew, and Qian Renxue was knocked back by the immense impact, while the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile didn't even lift its head as it continued to charge at Jin Guang.

"Damn this pest, its scales are actually this hard." After one failed strike, Qian Renxue's face turned cold, and she prepared to accelerate for another collision.

"Xiao Xue!" Jin Guang and Qian Yu both exclaimed.

"I'm fine." Qian Renxue steadied herself in mid-air, finally coming to a stop.

It had to be said, a 400-year-old Golden Armored Earth Crocodile was terrifyingly powerful.

"Qian Yu, you bastard, hurry up and think of something." Jin Guang was currently straining his body, clashing violently with the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile, but it was clear that the beast was completely overwhelming him.

"Xiao Xue, hold me and take off." Qian Yu had been observing the attributes of the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile from afar for a while; it was thick-skinned and agile.

"Okay." Qian Renxue blushed; the strength of a level 20 Soul Grand Master made her movements feel effortless.

Touching the firm muscles of Qian Yu's arms, Qian Renxue couldn't help but feel her face burning. The moment they touched, their souls trembled, and inexplicably, it seemed as if a special connection bound them together.

Qian Renxue, this is a matter of life and death! What are you thinking about?

However, this was a moment of life and death, and Qian Yu didn't overthink it.

"Xiao Xue, let's fly above the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile." At this moment, Qian Yu had eyes only for defeating this beast.

Qian Renxue carried Qian Yu into the air while Jin Guang continued to tangle with the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile, though he was now completely on the back foot and would likely be finished off in less than half a minute.

Right here. Qian Yu held his Desert Eagle in hand.

He held his breath and focused.

"Bang! Bang!" Two shots rang out.

The bullets grazed Jin Guang's cheek and flew straight toward the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile's eyes.

"Qian Yu, you bastard!" Jin Guang was grazed by Qian Yu's bullet again, his ears ringing with pain.

At this point, Qian Yu's spirit power was nearly half-depleted; with four bullets left, he would drain his power entirely.

Fortunately, the two bullets followed the same trajectory; the first struck the eyelid of the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile's right eye, and the second pierced through the eyelid, embedding itself into the beast's brain.

The Golden Armored Earth Crocodile looked up at Qian Yu in clear disbelief.

The next second, the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile collapsed to the ground.

Jin Guang's martial soul dissipated, and he lay limp on the ground, having no strength left to absorb a spirit ring.

"This?" Qian Renxue didn't know what to do either.

Seeing that the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile was about to die completely, Qian Yu signaled for Qian Renxue to bring him down to the ground, landing beside the beast.

"Bang! Bang!" Two more shots, and the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile died completely, a yellow spirit ring slowly condensing above it.

"Qian Yu, you bastard... I worked myself to the bone fighting that thing, and you're stealing my spirit ring..." Jin Guang gritted his teeth, cursing Qian Yu from the ground. Before he could finish, he fainted.

"Sorry." Qian Renxue offered a silent prayer for Jin Guang's limp body.

"Brother Qian Yu, hurry and absorb your first spirit ring. The Golden Armored Earth Crocodile excels in both attack and defense; it's perfect for your first ring." Qian Renxue urged him hurriedly.

"Mm." Qian Yu didn't decline.

It was truly a stroke of luck.

"Jin Guang, you can't blame me. If you're going to blame anyone, blame yourself for not being persistent enough," Qian Yu silently mourned for Jin Guang.

With that thought, Qian Yu sat down cross-legged, releasing his Soul Power to draw forth the Soul Ring. The yellow Soul Ring contracted and solidified, fitting onto his martial soul. Sacred energy surged into his body, his bones creaked, and his meridians burned.

Half an hour later, Qian Yu opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. His entire being felt different.

"Brother Qian Yu, you succeeded! Quickly tell me about your first soul skill and your Soul Power Level," Qian Renxue exclaimed with surprise as she saw Qian Yu awaken.

Sensing Qian Renxue's joy and feeling the changes in his body, Qian Yu said, "My first soul skill is Golden Armor Reinforcement, increasing strength by 30% and physical defense by 40%. As for my Soul Power Level, it increased by 2 levels to 12."

"Wow, as expected of a 400-year-old Golden Armored Earth Crocodile. Not only are the skills it provides so powerful, but the increase in Soul Power is also so exaggerated."

"Brother Qian Yu, your Desert Eagle is too terrifying. Don't aim it at Xiao Xue," Qian Renxue said familiarly, acting spoiled towards Qian Yu.

"Alright, alright," Qian Yu couldn't resist Qian Renxue's pouting.

He quickly changed the subject: "Jin Guang is unconscious now. Judging by the severity of his injuries, he probably can't continue this soul hunting trip."

"Yeah, this guy is really useless. He fainted after just a few attacks from the Golden Armored Earth Crocodile," Qian Renxue said indignantly.

In his sleep, Jin Guang was about to wake up when he heard Qian Renxue's disparagement. He was so angered that he spat out another mouthful of blood and fainted again.

"Xiao Xue." Qian Daoliu couldn't ignore it any longer. He appeared and examined Jin Guang's body, finding only superficial wounds. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He also cursed inwardly, "Useless thing, what a buzzkill." Fortunately, Jin Guang didn't hear him this time.

"Grandpa, what do we do next?" Qian Renxue ran to Qian Daoliu's side, acting spoiled.

"Xiao Xue, your Soul Rings are already well-organized. Just follow the Angel Inheritance. I'll lead you to quickly hunt two suitable soul beasts, and then we'll prepare to return," Qian Daoliu declared domineeringly.