Checking In with Tang Ya

Su Chen stood atop the boulder, calmly watching the two people below, understanding the situation.

Bei Bei, Tang Ya.

According to the original timeline, after Bei Bei helped Tang Ya obtain her third Soul Ring—the Datura Snake Soul Ring—they should have returned straight to Shrek Academy. So why were they here, looking so battered?

In the Sea of Consciousness, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sized them up with interest, its mental fluctuations carrying a hint of amusement. "Oh, these two youngsters have pretty good talent. That kid with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul is around level thirty-four in Soul Power. He has a solid foundation, and his thunder attribute is quite impressive, but he's nowhere near your level."

"The purple-haired girl has probably just broken through to Soul Elder. Her Soul Power is still a little unstable. It's a shame her Martial Soul is so poor..."

At that moment, Bei Bei and Tang Ya also spotted Su Chen atop the boulder.

Both of them froze.

Someone was here, deep in the rarely visited Star Dou Great Forest? And what's more...

When Tang Ya's gaze fell on Su Chen's face, she couldn't help but stare.

What a face!

His golden hair flowed down to his waist like a waterfall, shimmering with a soft luster in the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy. His features were so handsome they seemed almost unreal—slanted brows sweeping toward his temples, a high, chiseled nose, thin lips lightly pressed together, and a clean, sharp jawline.

His eyes were especially striking, flecked with golden starlight. Just looking at her calmly was enough to make her heart race uncontrollably.

He stood quietly atop the boulder, his golden hair and white wings stirring in the breeze. Sunlight fell around him, tracing a faint golden edge, as if a god had descended into the mortal world.

Tang Ya had seen plenty of handsome young men. Bei Bei beside her was widely regarded as a heartthrob at Shrek Academy, and he possessed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, with both talent and presence to match. But compared with the golden-haired boy before her... the difference was like fireflies beside the bright moon.

"So, so handsome..." Tang Ya murmured unconsciously. Then her pretty face flushed, and she hurriedly shook her head to dispel the distracting thoughts. This was no time to swoon over a handsome face!

Bei Bei's shock was rooted more in wariness. In this rarely visited part of the Star Dou Great Forest, the sudden appearance of such a young but extraordinary boy was highly unusual in itself.

And though the boy had seen them arrive in such a sorry state, he showed no surprise or alarm at all. He simply watched them calmly. That reaction...

"Hey, handsome, run!" Tang Ya suddenly came to her senses and shouted urgently. Her voice was hoarse with exhaustion. "There's something behind..."

[ DING! Important character detected: Tang Sect Sect Master Tang Ya. Check-in successful! ]

[ Reward granted: Immunity to All Poisons (permanent passive) ]

[ Immunity to All Poisons: Ignores all poison damage and negative effects, including but not limited to poison-type Soul Skills, poison, toxic miasma, and Soul Beast toxins. The effect is unaffected by differences in Soul Power Level. Even if an opponent's Soul Power far surpasses the host's, their poison cannot harm the host. ]

The system's notification rang in Su Chen's mind, and he was intrigued. "This is a good reward. The sacred attribute of the Six-Winged Angel already counters most toxins, but there are bound to be some unusual poison-type Martial Souls or Soul Skills. With this passive, I won't have to worry about facing poison experts anymore."

Just then—

"ROAR!!!"

A deafening roar came from the direction Tang Ya and Bei Bei had come from! It brimmed with fury and killing intent, shaking leaves from the surrounding trees.

Right after, a massive crimson figure burst out of the bushes at astonishing speed. Trees as thick as bowls snapped beneath its charge, and rocks went flying!

It was a gigantic Soul Beast, more than eight meters long and nearly four meters tall when standing upright, its body covered in thick, dark-red scales.

Most striking of all were the two pairs of enormous wings on its back. Each of the four crimson wings spanned more than five meters, their edges lined with sharp bone spurs.

Its head was fearsome, its eyes as red as blood. Fangs protruded from its mouth, and saliva dripped from its jaws, corroding little pits into the ground.

The moment the beast appeared, its gaze locked straight onto Su Chen atop the boulder, as if instinctively sensing that this seemingly calm boy was the greatest threat.

"Whoosh!"

The Red-Winged Dragon beat all four wings at once. Its massive body erupted with terrifying speed completely at odds with its size, hurtling toward Su Chen like a crimson bolt of lightning! Its dark-red-scaled claws let out a shriek as they tore through the air, slashing down at him!

"Watch out!" Bei Bei cried in alarm, trying to rush over and help, but his Soul Power was nearly exhausted, and he was half a beat too slow.

Tang Ya clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes full of guilt and anxiety. She and Bei Bei had led the terrifying Soul Beast here, putting this innocent, handsome boy in danger.

The instant the Red-Winged Dragon pounced, Su Chen moved.

He shifted three meters to the side like a golden phantom, precisely evading claws capable of tearing through steel.

"BOOM!"

The Red-Winged Dragon's claws slammed into the boulder, instantly shattering the hard blue-black rock and sending fragments flying. Su Chen had already pushed off and leapt backward, landing lightly in an open space three meters away, his golden hair streaming in the gust.

"Tsk. It really doesn't hold back," Su Chen remarked casually as he steadied himself.

"Hahahaha!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm laughed so hard in his mind it was rolling around. "I think it has a good eye. It went for the most conspicuous target first!"

"But kid, don't get careless and capsize in the gutter. This one's no pushover."

Su Chen ignored Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's teasing and calmly fixed his gaze on the enormous beast before him.

Now he understood why Tang Ya and Bei Bei were in such a sorry state. When faced with a terrifying Soul Beast like this, escaping with their lives was already a blessing.

"Su Chen, be careful!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's tone turned more serious. "That's a Red-Winged Dragon. Judging by its size and the color of its scales, it's around five thousand six hundred years old!"

"Don't let its age fool you. Its bloodline is quite pure for a lesser dragon species. It has an extremely powerful physique, and its strength and defense are among the best of Soul Beasts at the same level. It can also control fairly powerful flames."

"Even some ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts would rather not provoke it. Those two youngsters did pretty well to escape its claws. They had both luck and skill on their side."

Su Chen understood. No wonder. Tang Ya had just broken through to Soul Elder, and Bei Bei was probably around level thirty-four in Soul Power. For the two of them to face a five-thousand-year Red-Winged Dragon renowned for its strength and escape with their lives was already fortunate.

But...

"Why did it abandon those two and attack me instead?" Su Chen asked silently.

"Soul Beasts often have sharper instincts than humans," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm analyzed. "Maybe, subconsciously, it sensed you were more dangerous than those two combined, so it chose to deal with you first. Looks like this one has a pretty good head for battle."