Everyone was dumbfounded.
Zhu Zhuqing stood atop a tree, her catlike pupils widening slightly.
Tang San's hand froze in midair, while Dai Mubai remained in his fighting stance.
Everyone was stunned.
Oscar stood where he was.
"Th-That's it? It's over?"
Ji Ye glanced at him and spoke coolly.
"Go on. It's still breathing."
Oscar froze for a moment, then came back to his senses.
"Oh! Oh, right!"
He hurried over, pulled a short dagger from his waist, crouched down, and swiftly delivered the final blow.
The serpent's body stopped moving for good.
Zhao Wuji hurried over from behind and stopped in front of Ji Ye.
His expression was complicated, his eyes filled with deep confusion.
"What was that just now?" He pointed at the spatial ripple in the air, which had yet to fade completely.
"Isn't your Martial Soul a sword? How did it appear out of thin air?"
Ji Ye glanced at him, his tone calm.
"Who said my Martial Soul was a sword?"
Zhao Wuji was stunned.
Ji Ye continued, "I've simply gotten used to using it, so I condensed it into the shape of a sword."
Zhao Wuji fell silent, then took a deep breath and suppressed the churning emotions within him before turning to Oscar.
"Oscar, absorb the Soul Ring. We'll guard you."
"Okay, Teacher Zhao."
Oscar was already sitting beside the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent and had begun absorbing its Soul Ring.
The others automatically spread out, forming a circle as they kept watch over their surroundings.
Ji Ye leaned against a nearby tree with his arms crossed, his gaze sweeping carelessly over the depths of the forest.
A little while later, the unhurried sound of footsteps came from deep within the woods.
Everyone tensed at once.
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her stance atop the tree, her catlike pupils fixed on the direction of the sound.
Dai Mubai clenched his fists, Tang San's hand was already at his waist, and Xiao Wu shifted slightly to shield Oscar.
Zhao Wuji furrowed his brow and stared at the thicket.
An old woman emerged from the shadows.
Her hair was gray and her face deeply lined, yet her eyes were astonishingly bright. She wore a dark gray robe and leaned on a dark green Serpent Cane. Its head was carved into the shape of a coiled snake, with two dark red gems set in its eyes, glimmering faintly in the shadowy forest.
A young girl followed behind her, seemingly fifteen or sixteen. Her short hair was neat, her features bright, and her large, luminous eyes curiously surveyed everything around them.
The grandmother and granddaughter stopped several yards in front of the group.
Snake Granny's gaze passed over everyone and fell directly on the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's corpse. Then she looked at Oscar, who was sitting cross-legged and absorbing the Soul Ring, and her expression instantly darkened.
She slammed her Serpent Cane against the ground.
With a muffled thud, the earth trembled slightly, and fallen leaves scattered from around the cane.
Zhao Wuji furrowed his brow even more deeply and took two steps forward, blocking the group.
"May I ask who you are?"
Snake Granny snorted and walked toward them at an unhurried pace.
With every step she took, the light of a Soul Ring appeared beneath her feet. One step, then another, then another—six Soul Rings rose in succession: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black.
A Six-Ring Soul Emperor.
"This old woman is Chao Tianxiang."
"I was the first to find this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. I wounded it, and only then did it escape. And you lot simply came along and took the spoils."
Zhao Wuji's brows furrowed slightly as he listened.
He turned the name Chao Tianxiang over in his mind. He was sure he'd heard it before.
But he couldn't remember where.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he stepped forward as well.
Rings of light appeared beneath his feet, rising one after another: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.
A Seven-Ring Soul Sage.
Snake Granny's expression visibly changed.
Just then, Ji Ye walked over.
"May I ask if you are the Snake Granny of the famed Dragon Duke and Snake Granny?"
Snake Granny looked at the young man approaching her, a trace of surprise appearing on her face.
This little fellow had actually heard of her reputation?
When she got a good look at Ji Ye, even Snake Granny couldn't help admiring his stunning looks.
If only he and her granddaughter were to become a couple...
At the thought, Snake Granny turned to look at her granddaughter.
Meng Yiran was already staring, her eyes fixed on Ji Ye's face.
A blush spread across her cheeks.
Snake Granny couldn't help coughing twice. Only then did Meng Yiran come to her senses and duck her head behind her grandmother.
Seeing this, Snake Granny couldn't help laughing.
Then she looked at Ji Ye.
"Young man, you've actually heard of my name?"
"The Dragon Duke and Snake Granny are famed far and wide. This junior has naturally heard of you."
Ji Ye spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Only after hearing Ji Ye's words did Zhao Wuji remember that Chao Tianxiang was the Snake Granny of the famed Dragon Duke and Snake Granny.
He had nothing to fear from Snake Granny alone, but Dragon Duke was a Soul Douluo. The two of them together were said to possess strength comparable to a Titled Douluo.
So the Shrek Academy group simply couldn't afford to provoke them.
"Young man, what's your name?" Snake Granny asked.
"This junior is Ji Ye."
"Ji Ye... A good name. But I was the first to find this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. I wounded it and it escaped, only for your people to hunt it down first."
"Tell me, how will you make amends to this old woman?"
Ji Ye could tell that Snake Granny had something else in mind, but he still pretended not to understand.
"How many Gold Soul Coins would you like as compensation, senior?"
Snake Granny smiled.
"This old woman has no need of Gold Soul Coins. You're about the same age as my granddaughter. Why not join our family instead?"
Ji Ye froze for a moment, truly not having expected that.
He turned to look at Meng Yiran beside her.
She had curves, but not many.
Not as much as Zhu Zhuqing.
Her short hair did have its own charm, though.
But Ji Ye wasn't the kind of person who went around flirting indiscriminately.
Then he walked slowly toward Snake Granny.
"This junior will have to decline. But I do have a friend who has admired you for a long time, senior Snake Granny. If you don't mind, I can introduce him to you."
The moment Ji Ye said that, everyone was dumbfounded.
No one had expected him to speak to a senior like that.
Snake Granny's old face instantly flushed bright red, the color spreading from her cheeks all the way down to her neck.
She had lived this long, yet this was the first time a twelve-year-old junior had teased her like this.
She slammed her Serpent Cane against the ground, sending the fallen leaves flying half a foot into the air.
"You sharp-tongued brat! You dare make fun of this old woman!"
Ji Ye stood where he was and calmly cupped his hands, a hint of just-right apology on his face.
"You misunderstand, senior. I'm completely serious. That friend of mine really has admired you for a long time. He may be young, but he's quite well known in the readers' world. I thought I'd help bring about a beautiful match—"
"Shut up!" Snake Granny struck the ground with her Serpent Cane again, her old face turning even redder. It was hard to tell whether she was angry or embarrassed.
"If you keep spouting nonsense, I don't care whether you're a junior or not. I'll teach you a lesson first!"
P.S. To whichever friend of mine this is, come forward and give us your name!
Before you continue