Yu Xiaogang scrambled to his feet and spun around. He didn't even bother to pick up the bundle lying on the ground. Using both hands and feet, he fled toward the forest's outer exit at the fastest speed of his life.
His pathetic retreat was so comical it was almost beyond belief.
At the sight, Hu Liena could no longer hold back. Clutching her stomach, she burst into laughter.
Dugu Bo merely shook his head, his lips curled in scorn.
Everyone present knew perfectly well that this so-called theoretical grandmaster was nothing but a joke from beginning to end.
The laughter gradually faded.
Dugu Yan strode over to Hu Liena and examined the beautiful Nine-tailed Fox phantom behind her.
"Your Martial Soul is so pretty, and your First Soul Ring is a thousand years old, too."
Dugu Yan extended her fair hand.
"My name is Dugu Yan. Let's be friends."
Hu Liena was cheerful by nature, and when the other girl offered her friendship, she gladly accepted and took Dugu Yan's hand.
"Sure! My name is Hu Liena."
The two gifted girls quickly grew close.
However, Dugu Yan's attention didn't linger on Hu Liena for long.
She turned around, her bright eyes fixed on Lin Yuan, who stood a short distance away.
She remembered how Lin Yuan had sent a Soul Grandmaster flying with one punch, and how a mysterious aura had burst from him—one so powerful it had made even her grandfather's heart skip a beat.
Dugu Yan's eyes brimmed with adoration and deep admiration.
"Lin Yuan, you're incredible."
Dugu Yan walked up to him, the haughty, willful bearing of the Dugu Family's heir now completely gone.
She stood there, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes between her hands, looking rather ill at ease.
"Just now... I really have to thank you."
Dugu Yan spoke with utmost sincerity.
"Thank you for teaching me to choose a Soul Ring with such a high age, and for helping me suppress the remaining consciousness of that Soul Beast. If I hadn't met you, I might really have been led astray by that swindler of a grandmaster."
Lin Yuan remained calm at her thanks and simply waved a hand.
"It was nothing."
He continued, "You had the courage to try it yourself. You deserved that Soul Ring."
Seeing that both girls had successfully obtained top-quality Soul Rings, Dugu Bo stepped forward, his tone turning gentle.
"Lin Yuan, my Yan Yan and this little fox have both taken care of what they came for. What are your plans now?"
Dugu Bo glanced around.
"You need to obtain your First Soul Ring, too, don't you? Want this old man to look around nearby and find one for you?"
Following Dugu Bo's gaze toward the depths of the forest, Lin Yuan shook his head.
"The Soul Beasts on the outskirts are too young. There's nothing suitable for my Martial Soul."
His calm gaze rested on the shadowy forest, filled with unknown dangers.
"I plan to go deeper and have a look."
Bibi Dong stood silently atop a thick tree trunk, her tall figure perfectly concealed by the dense canopy and lush foliage.
Through a gap in the leaves, her breathtaking eyes followed Yu Xiaogang's pitiful figure as he scrambled out of the forest.
Her fair, beautiful face was now filled with disgust and contempt.
Just moments ago, when Yu Xiaogang had lunged at Lin Yuan like a mad dog, Bibi Dong's heart had nearly leapt into her throat.
She knew exactly what kind of man Yu Xiaogang was.
He might have been a good-for-nothing, but he was still a Soul Grandmaster of rank 29.
Lin Yuan had only just turned six. No matter how high his Innate Soul Power was, he was still a child who hadn't absorbed a single Soul Ring.
Bibi Dong had been so startled that cold sweat broke out all over her. Deadly Soul Power had already gathered at her fingertips.
She had poured her heart and soul into raising him for an entire year. Back at Spirit Hall, she couldn't bear to say even a harsh word to him.
Even if Qian Renxue scolded him, it would hurt her for half a day.
Fortunately, Lin Yuan's composure and strength had far exceeded her expectations. He had calmly countered the attack with a single punch, taking down that good-for-nothing and forcing Bibi Dong to suppress her urge to intervene.
Thinking back on it now, Bibi Dong felt her stomach churn. She was utterly disgusted.
"His self-important Martial Soul Theory was torn apart by two six-year-old children. It was thoroughly exposed as a worthless scrap riddled with errors."
"Never mind that his theories were a joke. This grown man shamelessly tried to kill a child who had only just awakened his Martial Soul."
"And the most laughable part is that he couldn't even beat a child. Instead, his hand bones were crushed underfoot, and he fled like a stray dog."
Bibi Dong clenched the edges of her clothes, unable to stop herself from bitterly mocking her past self.
What on earth had possessed her back then?
She must have been blind to fall for such a hypocritical, vicious, utterly useless coward!
Thank goodness Yuan'er had pulled away the veil of shame today and let her see that man's true colors once and for all.
Her gaze returned to Lin Yuan's small, upright figure below.
The gloom in Bibi Dong's eyes vanished at once, replaced by tenderness and pride.
In the clearing below,
Lin Yuan turned his gaze away from the forest's depths and looked toward Hu Liena.
"I'm going into the inner area to find a suitable Soul Ring."
"It's far more dangerous in there, and I won't be able to spare the attention to protect you."
"For now, stay with Senior Dugu and don't wander off."
Hu Liena was reluctant to part with him, but she knew that she needed time to stabilize her cultivation after absorbing a Soul Ring.
Following him would only make her a burden.
She nodded firmly, tightening her small hand around the hem of Lin Yuan's clothes.
"Boss, please be careful. I'll wait here for you to come back safe and sound."
At that, Dugu Bo's brows immediately furrowed.
"Lin Yuan, are you sure you want to go in alone?"
"The inner area is nothing like the outskirts. Soul Beasts with cultivation of several thousand years roam in there, and they're short-tempered and fiercely territorial."
"Your strength is formidable, but you still haven't gained the boost of a Soul Ring. Want this old man to go with you? With a Titled Douluo leading the way, I guarantee I'll find you the very best one."
Lin Yuan shook his head and declined outright.
"My Martial Soul is unusual, and it needs a very specific kind of Soul Ring. One found by someone else might not suit me."
"Senior Dugu, just rest here and look after Na'er for me."
"As for those beasts in the inner area, they won't be able to stop me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Yuan set off without hesitation, heading straight toward the dim depths of the forest.
Dugu Yan watched his figure gradually disappear among the dark shadows of the trees, her eyes full of undisguised admiration.
"He's so cool..."
Dugu Yan tugged at her grandfather's sleeve.
"Grandpa, Lin Yuan didn't even want that thousand-year Nine-tailed Fox as his First Soul Ring. Is he planning to hunt something with an even higher age?"
Dugu Bo stroked his beard, astonishment filling his eyes as well.
"This little fox's First Soul Ring is already 1,400 years old, breaking all the rules."
"With Lin Yuan's heaven-defying physique and the pressure of his bloodline, his First Soul Ring will definitely be a thousand years at minimum. He might even be aiming for two thousand or three thousand years."
"What a monster. Let's wait here on the outskirts and see what kind of shocking Soul Ring he brings back."
Before you continue