Star Dou Forest, the primeval jungle known as a forbidden zone for Soul Masters, looked both magnificent and sinister beneath the morning light.
Millennia-old trees towered overhead, blocking out the sun. The air was thick with the rich fragrance of plants and the rank, fishy stench left behind by Soul Beasts.
Deep in the forest, a scene that could not have been more out of place was unfolding.
Su Yun wore spotless white robes and walked as if on level ground through the rugged forest, a faint glow of sacred Soul Power beneath his feet.
He waved an Ivory Folding Fan in his right hand and held Xiao Wu's hand with his left. Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong walked beside him.
The four chatted and laughed, strolling at ease as if they were admiring flowers in their own backyard.
"Brother Su Yun, the wings of that Swift Wind Cicada were actually quite pretty. What a pity it was so young."
Xiao Wu giggled, her rabbit ears bobbing in the breeze as she brimmed with energy.
"That thing wasn't worthy of you."
Su Yun affectionately pinched her cheek.
"Your big brother will find you something better in a bit."
About twenty meters behind them, Tang San was swinging a woodcutter's axe, drenched in sweat.
"Damn it! Why are there so many bushes in this place?"
Tang San gritted his teeth, stumbling through piles of rotting leaves.
To keep up with Su Yun, he had nearly pushed his Mysterious Heaven Skill to its limits.
He had originally meant to show off the Tang Sect's wilderness survival skills, only to discover that the golden barrier around Su Yun not only repelled mosquitoes and insects, but even caused thorny vines to wither and dissolve the instant they touched it.
Watching Su Yun's elegant figure, then looking down at the mud caking his own clothes and his torn straw sandals, Tang San's resentment nearly congealed into something tangible.
Keep pretending, Su Yun. Go on, keep pretending! In Star Dou Forest, strength is important, of course, but luck and a good eye are what keep you alive. When we run into a powerful Soul Beast, let's see if you can still stay so calm!
Just as Tang San was cursing him, a violent rustling came from the woods ahead.
"Something's moving!"
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze sharpened. She activated her Nether Civet Martial Soul and shot between the tree trunks like a black lightning bolt, quickly locking onto the target.
"It's a thousand-year Soul Beast, and it's incredibly fast!"
Su Yun stopped and looked up.
A red blur streaked through the forest in a panic. It was a long snake, six or seven meters in length, with a huge, bright-red fleshy crest atop its head.
"A Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent."
The corner of Su Yun's mouth lifted.
"Somewhere between thirteen and fifteen hundred years. It was supposed to be that kid Oscar's lucky break, but this lousy academy doesn't even exist anymore. It'd be a waste to leave the beast in the forest."
Su Yun didn't even use his Martial Soul. He simply pressed his fingers together like a sword and sent a beam of sacred force shooting forth, striking the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent precisely at the base of its wing.
"Chiii—!"
The long snake, which had been flying at incredible speed, let out a miserable shriek. Its massive body lost balance and slammed into the grass in front of Su Yun, kicking up clouds of dust.
"Su Yun, are you going to kill it?"
Ning Rongrong ran over, studying the peculiar-looking Soul Beast with curiosity.
"I'll kill it and take its core. Its age is a little low, but the blood essence in its crest is somewhat useful for strengthening the body."
Su Yun leisurely took out his Ivory Folding Fan, preparing to finish it off.
But just as Su Yun was about to strike, an old yet powerful voice suddenly exploded from the nearby woods!
"Hold it!"
Immediately afterward, three figures plunged down from the treetops with a gust of wind and landed beside the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
The leader was an elderly woman in a moon-white Soul Master's robe, her silver hair neatly coiled behind her head.
She held a three-meter-long Serpent Cane. Six Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, and black—slowly revolved beneath her feet, radiating the pressure of a Soul Emperor.
Beside the elderly woman stood a man in his sixties or seventies. He did not show off his strength, but the sharp glint in his narrowed eyes was enough to make even someone like Tang San feel suffocated.
Most eye-catching of all was the young girl standing between the two.
She looked sixteen or seventeen, with a neat short haircut that stopped at her ears. Her features were delicate, and she had a capable air about her that could rival any man.
She held a smaller Serpent Cane and wore tight-fitting green leather armor, which outlined the firm figure she had developed through years of training.
They were the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny, along with their granddaughter, Meng Yiran.
"We spotted this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent first, and we've been tracking it for most of the day."
Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over Su Yun and the others.
Though she could tell Su Yun had an extraordinary bearing, they were all young and had no elders with them, so she couldn't help but look down on them a little.
A Soul Emperor might not rank among the strongest elsewhere, but in this outer region, she could walk all over anyone.
"Yiran, go claim your Soul Ring."
Chao Tianxiang spoke to her granddaughter in a matter-of-fact tone, with an air of domineering entitlement.
At her words, Meng Yiran gripped her Serpent Cane and stepped forward, an unmistakable hint of arrogance on her face.
Hiding behind the others, Tang San watched the scene with glee.
Here's my chance! The Dragon-Snake Duo aren't to be trifled with, especially since the old woman is a Soul Emperor. Let's see how Su Yun gets out of this. If he backs down, I can mock him; if he dares to fight, Chao Tianxiang will teach him a lesson he won't forget!
Looking at the family, Su Yun showed no anger at all. Instead, his expression turned teasing, as though he had finally encountered an NPC from the original story.
Out of habit, he raised his right hand and pressed it down in the air. A black Diary appeared from nowhere.
On its page, he wrote a lengthy assessment:
[Check-in successful. Ran into the Dragon-Snake family.]
[Have to admit, Meng Yiran is a pretty girl. Her short hair gives her a capable look, and she has a wilder beauty than a pampered little princess like Ning Rongrong. What a pity her makeup is so heavy, especially that purple eyeshadow. She looks like a demon who hasn't slept.]
[As for the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny, they're still as snobbish as ever. With a Soul Emperor's cultivation, they're not just stealing someone else's prey; they're practically robbing them in broad daylight. In the original story, Tang San bluffed them with Hidden Weapons and his so-called "poison skills," and he almost ended up with their granddaughter as the price.]
[In this life, with me around, they might not be able to keep their granddaughter—but Tang San, you probably won't even get a whiff of her.]
After writing this, Su Yun closed the Diary. The sinister smile at the corner of his mouth grew even more pronounced.
Behind him, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing both darkened.
"She's pretty?"
Ning Rongrong clenched her teeth, her gaze scraping across Meng Yiran like a blade.
"Su Yun, you actually called a woman who's trying to steal our stuff pretty?!"
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, but a cold glint had begun to show from the claws of her Martial Soul.
At that moment, Meng Yiran, who had been about to step forward and kill the snake, abruptly froze.
As if sensing some mysterious pull, she instinctively looked up at the snow-white-robed young man across from her.
She had been glaring at them with hostility and arrogance, but the instant her gaze met Su Yun's eyes, deep as the starry sky—
It felt as though her heart had been struck by a heavy hammer, missing a beat.
"S-so handsome!!!"
Meng Yiran was stunned.
As a genius of Exotic Beast Academy, she had seen no fewer than eight hundred sect prodigies and noble heirs.
But beside Su Yun, they were nothing more than dirt clods in the fields, while Su Yun was a deity above the clouds.
The aura radiating from Su Yun's MAX Charm Aura, mingling with the holiness and dominance of the Judgment Angel, was fatally alluring to a proud girl like Meng Yiran, who cultivated a snake-type Martial Soul.
Meng Yiran's pretty face flushed all the way to her ears, her blush plain to see.
She even forgot that she had come to claim the Soul Beast. The Serpent Cane in her hand began to tremble slightly.
"Hey, miss."
Su Yun waved his fan, his voice low and magnetic.
"Stealing other people's things isn't a very good habit. How about you apologize to me, and I'll consider giving you this snake?"
Meng Yiran bit her red lip. Her pride instantly gave way to bashfulness, and she stammered for a long time without saying a word.
When Chao Tianxiang saw her granddaughter like this, her heart gave a jolt.
"W-what's going on? Could the girl have been bewitched?"
Far away, Tang San watched Meng Yiran's pretty face turn red enough to steam, along with Su Yun's unruffled demeanor. The sesame cake in his hand crumbled into powder as he squeezed it.
"Why?! Why do girls you've only just met fall head over heels for you too?!"
At that moment, Tang San's heart shattered completely!
Before you continue