He paused, then waved a hand lazily.
"Tell me, what Soul Beast do you need for your Second Soul Ring?"
I won!
Ye Feng was overjoyed inside, but he didn't dare let it show. He maintained his respectful composure.
"Thank you for trusting me, Senior! I need a Light-Condensing Healing Flower that's about 1,100 years old!"
"A Light-Condensing Healing Flower?"
Yue Guan blinked, then understood.
He naturally knew of this rare Plant-type Soul Beast.
Its greatest trait was that it could greatly increase a Soul Master's Soul Power recovery rate. It was also gentle by nature, and a Soul Master's chances of absorbing it were at least twenty percent higher than for an animal-type Soul Beast of the same level.
So this kid wasn't just a reckless fool. He knew to leave himself a way out.
Still, even with a twenty-percent higher success rate, a Soul Grandmaster trying to absorb a Millennium Soul Ring was no different from seeking death.
"Interesting."
Yue Guan's smile grew more and more amused.
"Fine! You wait here, and don't go wandering off.
I happen to know where in this Sunset Forest to find what you're looking for."
He put particular emphasis on "don't go wandering off." The warning was unmistakable.
"Don't worry, Senior!"
Ye Feng immediately straightened his chest, his face righteous.
"There are no tears in the Soul Master World. A true man never backs down!"
"Tsk, tsk."
Yue Guan was amused by his expression.
"Youngster, you always have a way with words. I've really underestimated you."
Before the words had even faded, his figure became a streak of golden light and vanished into the depths of the forest, leaving not a trace behind.
Only when that suffocating, terrifying presence had completely disappeared did the nerves Ye Feng had held taut finally relax.
He could no longer hold himself up. His legs gave way, and he dropped onto the ground.
Cold sweat had already soaked through his back.
He gasped for breath as the relief of surviving washed over him like a rising tide.
I'm alive...
In front of Chrysanthemum Douluo, a man whose mood could change on a whim, he'd actually survived with nothing but a silver tongue and a desperate gamble!
And he'd even won himself a future beyond his wildest dreams!
A disciple of Chrysanthemum Douluo!
With that status, he could practically walk sideways across the entire Douluo Continent!
But...
He slowly exhaled, and his mind began to calmly review what had happened.
Why had Yue Guan suddenly appeared here? And right when Ye Feng had been about to die?
Wait, no... Yue Guan appearing here was perfectly normal.
According to the original story's timeline, Yue Guan went to Sunset Forest every few days at this point. Why? To visit his "old friend," Dugu Bo, and have a friendly spar.
And every time, he beat Old Poison until he was battered and disgraced.
It wasn't until Tang San appeared and gave Dugu Bo Hidden Weapons like the Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Life-Taking Ball that Old Poison could barely manage to fight him to a draw.
Come to think of it, Tang San's Hidden Weapons weren't all that powerful. What was truly deadly was the poison smeared on them and the explosives inside.
After that, Yue Guan had probably felt that winning was unfair—or perhaps he'd simply been disgusted—and gradually cut back on his "visits" with Dugu Bo.
As for the claim that Yue Guan was weak?
Ye Feng absolutely disagreed.
Later, when Yue Guan fought Tang San to the death for himself—or, more accurately, for Old Ghost—his life-burning technique, "Diamond Indestructible," unleashed enough power to threaten the life of a level-96 Super Douluo in a short time. Even Bone Douluo or Qian Jun, in a one-on-one fight, would have been left gravely wounded at best—or dead!
Unfortunately, it was a final flourish that came at the cost of his life.
What if... he could consume a wondrous herb, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum?
Perhaps Yue Guan's Martial Soul, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, could evolve. Then, when he used "Diamond Indestructible," he might not need to burn up his life force...
These thoughts flashed through Ye Feng's mind.
They were all too far off.
What mattered most now was the Millennium Soul Ring he was about to absorb!
But no matter what...
Ye Feng grinned and laughed silently.
He was definitely going to take Yue Guan as his teacher!
Before long, a dazzling streak of golden light returned from the depths of the forest and silently halted in front of Ye Feng.
That heart-stopping pressure descended once more, but it no longer carried the slightest trace of killing intent. Instead, it held a hint of amusement and scrutiny.
Yue Guan held a strange plant in one hand. It was crystalline all over, as if made of pure light. Its petals layered one over another, and its central stamen radiated a gentle, pure vitality.
Just standing near it, Ye Feng could feel the Soul Power he'd lost in the fight slowly and comfortably recovering.
"Youngster, a Light-Condensing Healing Flower with 1,200 years of cultivation, pulled up by the roots. It's as fresh as they come."
Yue Guan casually tossed the plant, still trembling faintly, down in front of Ye Feng and looked at him sidelong, his expression lazy.
"I'll give you one last chance. You can still change your mind.
Don't throw your life away over some ridiculous obsession. Once you're dead, you'll have nothing."
His words carried a faint, almost imperceptible note of advice, as though he'd developed the slightest bit of compassion for this audacious kid.
Ye Feng looked at the Soul Beast on the ground, glowing with a purple radiance, and felt the formidable energy contained within it. Far from being afraid, he felt a heroism unlike anything he'd ever known blaze in his chest.
He stood, dusted off his clothes, and bowed deeply to Yue Guan.
"Senior, life and death are in fate; wealth and honor are in the heavens."
He raised his head. His young face still carried traces of childishness, but his resolve and sharpness were far beyond his years.
"The path of a Soul Master is one of defying heaven itself. Without the courage to charge forward, how can anyone hope to climb to the summit?
If I succeed in absorbing it today, then I'll have the foundation to realize the distant dream I've been chasing!"
"And if I fail, then I can only blame my fate.
I'll try again in my next life. Ten years from now, another hot-blooded young man will be born for the sake of his dream!"
With that, Ye Feng hesitated no longer.
He drew the fine-steel Short Sword from his waist and, without the slightest pause, brought it down, cleanly severing the Light-Condensing Healing Flower's main root.
Hum!
With a soft chime, the plant instantly lost all its radiance and crumbled into ash.
A faint yet dazzling purple Soul Ring rose quietly from the ashes, floating in midair and radiating the powerful pressure unique to a thousand-year Soul Beast.
Ye Feng didn't even look at it. He sat cross-legged, formed a hand seal, and sent his spiritual power surging out like a tide, drawing the purple Soul Ring down toward his body.
Watching this, a look of utter complexity surfaced in Yue Guan's narrow eyes.
Foolish boy...
A complete and utter fool.
How difficult was it to reach that realm?
It wasn't something talent and hard work alone could achieve. It took defying fortune itself—it took the favor of the gods!
So be it.
Yue Guan sighed inwardly.
If this kid really couldn't hold on, he'd step in and stop him at once.
For that stubborn determination to keep going until he hit a wall, for that courage to wager his life on the future, Yue Guan supposed he could... accept this disciple.
Before you continue