The ancient trees of Star Dou Forest towered into the sky, their branches and leaves interwoven overhead.
The tense atmosphere left behind by the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had now plunged into absolute silence.
"Who dares bully my granddaughter?"
A deep, imposing voice boomed above the jungle like rolling thunder.
Immediately afterward, a terrifying aura, as weighty as a mountain and as sharp as a cold blade, surged toward them like an avalanche.
A moment later, an old man in a dark blue robe slowly emerged from the depths of the dense forest.
He was lean, yet stood as straight as a pine. In his hand was a four-meter-long dragon-headed cane. As his eyes opened and closed, light glinted in them, as if he could see right through the void.
Dragon Duke, Meng Shu!
Eight Soul Rings—two yellow, three purple, and three black—revolved beneath his feet. They belonged to an eighty-first-rank Soul Douluo.
In an instant, every low-level Soul Beast within a hundred meters fell silent with fear. Even the leaves stopped swaying.
Hidden behind the others, Tang San felt his breath catch under that overwhelming pressure, and his legs began trembling uncontrollably.
It was an absolute suppression of life levels, a gulf that no amount of Hidden Weapon skill could bridge at his current level.
Yet a glint flashed in his eyes.
He thought Su Yun had finally kicked an iron plate!
This is my chance! My chance!
Tang San fought down his fear, took a deep breath, and actually staggered forward, trying to show the three girls his sense of responsibility and knowledge.
He bowed slightly to Meng Shu, doing his best to make his voice sound neither servile nor arrogant.
"This junior is Tang San. Greetings, Senior Dragon Duke. We meant no offense. It's just that my teacher once taught me that when hunting Soul Beasts, whoever arrives first has the right to claim them. My teacher is Yu Xiaogang, known as the Grandmaster. Surely you've heard of him, Senior. For my teacher's sake..."
Tang San spoke with absolute certainty, as though the words "the Grandmaster" were a universal pass throughout Douluo Continent.
Meng Shu furrowed his brows and struck the dragon-headed cane against the ground. The thump nearly knocked Tang San off his feet.
"The Grandmaster? Yu Xiaogang?"
A flicker of confusion appeared in Meng Shu's eyes, then turned to deep disdain.
"Who is this nobody? I've roamed the continent for decades. I've heard of Clear Sky and Chen Xin, but never of any 'Grand Shit.' Do you think you can fool me with a name I've never even heard?"
"Pfft—!"
Su Yun couldn't help himself and burst out laughing.
"Tang San, Tang San, you're going to kill me."
Su Yun waved his folding fan, looking at Tang San as if he were a clown putting on a show.
"Your teacher stole a few documents from Spirit Hall and strung together a few catchy rhymes, and now he really thinks he's the continent's leading authority on scholarship? In the eyes of a Soul Douluo, your Grandmaster probably isn't even as famous as some roadside chef."
Tang San's face instantly turned the color of a purple eggplant. The humiliation of finally working up the courage to show off, only to be exposed in front of everyone, made him wish he could crawl into a crack in the ground.
Su Yun paid no more attention to the broken Tang San. He brushed off dust that wasn't there and leisurely took a step forward, right into the center of the Soul Douluo's pressure.
"Hum—!"
As Su Yun stepped forward, the space behind him seemed to fold in some wondrous way.
The faint shadow of a gigantic pair of golden wings appeared behind him. A holy and awe-inspiring aura shot into the sky, forcibly pushing back Meng Shu's Soul Power pressure!
Su Yun pulled out a jet-black token carved with six different designs and casually toyed with it in his hand.
"Dragon Duke and Snake Granny. Quite the imposing display."
A playful smile curled his lips.
"I spotted this snake first, and I was the one who brought it down. Still, I'm a reasonable man."
The moment Meng Shu saw the token, his pupils contracted. He nearly lost his grip on the dragon-headed cane.
That was an Elder Token?!
No, it was even more distinguished than an Elder Token—a secret command symbolizing the Pope's personal presence!
"You... You're that person from Spirit Hall!?"
Meng Shu's voice came out dry.
Su Yun cut him off, his gaze settling on Meng Yiran, who was blushing and staring at him in a daze.
"Since you want an explanation, I'll give you a chance."
Su Yun folded his fan and pointed it at Meng Yiran.
"Let this little girl compete with me. If she wins, you can do whatever you like with this snake. If she loses, she's mine... Ahem, the snake is mine, and you'll all have to step aside without another word."
When Meng Yiran heard the words "she's mine," her heart skipped a beat. Her pale, pretty face instantly flushed so red it looked ready to drip blood, and all sorts of wild scenes flashed through her mind.
"H-he actually wants me?"
Though Meng Shu was wary of Su Yun's identity, Su Yun looked so young and seemed to be only a Soul Elder. And since his granddaughter was confident in her flying knives, he replied in a low voice:
"Very well! If you're in the mood for a match, Yiran, make your move! Don't bring shame on the Meng family."
The competition began.
Meng Yiran took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
Her eyes sharpened. She raised both hands, and twelve flying knives glinting with a ghostly blue light streaked through the air, closing off every angle around Su Yun.
"Break!"
This was the secret technique she was most proud of. Soul Power coated every blade.
Yet Su Yun didn't even release his Martial Soul.
[Phantom Shadow Perplexing Track] activated!
It was a god-tier footwork technique the system had improved from Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
In everyone's eyes, Su Yun's body instantly turned hazy, as if he had become a wisp of golden smoke.
The flying knives filled the air, but no matter how he darted and dodged, they couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
In fact, he moved so fast that countless images of Su Yun lingered on Meng Yiran's retinas.
"Clang—!"
A crisp sound rang out.
Su Yun's slender, jade-like fingers caught the last flying knife by its blade.
Before Meng Yiran could react, Su Yun had vanished from where he stood.
The next second, a man's warm breath enveloped her.
"Thump!"
Su Yun braced one hand against the tree trunk behind Meng Yiran's head, his body almost pressed against hers.
It was the classic wall pin.
Su Yun looked at Meng Yiran, whose eyes were wide with shock and embarrassment just inches from his own. He gently blew a breath at her and flashed a wicked smile.
"Beautiful, your knife skills are far too slow."
With the Charm Aura cranked all the way up to MAX, Meng Yiran's head spun. Her legs went weak, and she could barely stay upright.
"I... I lost."
Meng Yiran lowered her head and mumbled so softly it was like a mosquito buzzing, but in her heart she was screaming:
Help! He's so smooth! Why does he have to be so handsome?!
Off in the distance, Tang San watched Su Yun's effortless, domineering way of flirting.
He watched the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent and the flying-knife match that should have been his.
He watched the three girls look at him with disdain.
He was so jealous that he felt every cell in his body was about to split apart!
[ Ding! Major iconic moment stolen: Meng Yiran's first love. Tang San's Luck Value -1000. ] [ Ding! The host showed off without even trying. Ning Rongrong is extremely jealous (affection +5%); Zhu Zhuqing's reliance +10%. ]
Su Yun let go and leisurely stepped back, then pulled out his black diary again.
[Today's satisfaction: Dragon Duke and Snake Granny really knew their place. Mostly, it's because my charm is unstoppable.]
[Watching Tang San get rejected after bringing up the Grandmaster's name almost made me spit out my food. Little San, in the eyes of real experts, your teacher really isn't worth a damn.]
[As for Meng Yiran, she's pretty cute when she blushes. The wall pin felt great. She's even softer to the touch than the original described.]
[All right, the snake is mine. Next, let's go see that unlucky Man Faced Demon Spider. Tang San, stay close. I'm going to help you get your backbone back right now.]
Closing the diary, Su Yun led the beauties toward the depths of the forest, leaving Meng Shu watching them go with a complicated expression.
Tang San stared daggers at Su Yun's back, gripping his chopping knife until it creaked.
Never before had he wanted Su Yun dead so desperately!
Before you continue