First Meeting with Ye Lingling

The young girl was named Ye Lingling, a freshman at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Having just reached the rank of Spirit Master today, she had followed a Spirit King teacher from the academy out to hunt for a spirit ring, thinking that hunting a century-level spirit beast would be a sure thing.

Who could have known that the moment they stepped into the Star Dou Forest, they would be ambushed by this Three-Eyed Demon Ape.

Seeing that the Three-Eyed Demon Ape could not win the prolonged battle, it flew into a savage rage, tanking a blade strike from the middle-aged Spirit King before swinging its fan-sized giant claws, reeking of blood, toward his head.

"Teacher Chen, look out!"

Ye Lingling could not help but cry out in alarm.

Just at this critical juncture, a brilliant azure light shot out from the woods to the side like a meteor.

"Wrath of the Sea God!"

Poseinan let out a clear shout. Without fully manifesting his martial spirit, he merely condensed a miniature phantom of the Sea God Trident in his hand and hurled it fiercely at the Three-Eyed Demon Ape.

The ten-meter distance was crossed in an instant!

The Three-Eyed Demon Ape had keen senses and felt a lethal threat; its third vertical eye erupted with purple light in an attempt to interfere, while it simultaneously swiped its claws to block.

However, it probably never dreamed that—

The seemingly small trident phantom actually contained a armor-piercing effect.

"Puchi!"

Blood sprayed out.

With the force of a falling mountain, the trident phantom easily tore through the Three-Eyed Demon Ape's spirit power defense and tough fur, piercing deep into its chest as violent water-attribute spirit power exploded within its body.

"Roar—!"

The Three-Eyed Demon Ape let out a shrill, desperate howl before its massive body crashed to the ground.

A deep purple spirit ring slowly emerged from its corpse.

Everything happened too fast!

From the moment Poseinan struck to the death of the Three-Eyed Demon Ape, no more than a breath or two had passed.

The scene fell into instant, deathly silence.

The injured Spirit King clutched his chest, staring dumbfounded at the corpse of the Three-Eyed Demon Ape on the ground, then whipped his head around to look in Poseinan's direction, his eyes filled with shock.

The other spirit masters also ceased their movements, looking at each other in bewilderment, still shaken by the ordeal.

Ye Lingling also opened her small mouth wide, her purple eyes filled with disbelief. "So, so amazing!"

This big brother, who looked like he wasn't much older than her... was so amazing!

A spirit beast that even Teacher Chen couldn't defeat had been instantly killed by him in one blow.

Once she came to her senses, Ye Lingling hurried over to Poseinan. With a sincere look of gratitude on her cold, delicate face, she bowed deeply to him. "Big brother, thank you for helping us!"

Poseinan brushed off his small hands as if he had just done something trivial.

Then he turned around and, under the stunned gazes of the crowd, reached out his hand.

"Hey, you little blue-haired radish, pay up."

"Huh?"

Ye Lingling froze, blinking her clear, large eyes, thinking she had misheard.

A hero saving the beauty...

No, after helping someone in need, shouldn't he coolly say, "Think nothing of it, it was just a small favor"?

Why was he asking for money directly?

Even Sea Witch watched on, dumbfounded.

"I saved you, shouldn't you pay a reward?"

Poseinan was perfectly justified. "Or are you planning to welsh on the debt?"

Ye Lingling scratched her head blankly, as if she had suddenly been enlightened. "Eh?! I suppose that's true!"

She fished a small cosmos-style pouch from the corner of her robe, which contained quite a few gold spirit coins.

She counted them one by one, seemingly trying to decide how much was appropriate.

Poseinan snatched the whole thing away, stuffed it into his waistband, and said impatiently, "Oh, stop counting. It's not much anyway, just give it all to me."

Ye Lingling's large eyes widened instantly.

How could this person be like this?

Clearly, just a moment ago he was...

Poseinan glanced at her.

"What, you're not convinced?"

Ye Lingling pursed her small lips slightly, her cheeks puffing out involuntarily. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, though her gaze kept darting toward Poseinan's waistband.

This was a pouch her mother had sewn herself...

She looked angry but dared not speak.

The child was so wronged she was about to cry.

Teacher Chen, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Thank you, young master, for your timely rescue. Heaven Dou Royal Academy is deeply grateful. It's only right to accept some compensation. If you find the amount insufficient, I have more here..."

He had seen it clearly: the woman behind this young man had not shown the slightest hint of surprise from beginning to end.

What did this mean?

It meant that the Three-Eyed Demon Ape was an easy kill for this young man!

Judging by his appearance, this young man was about the same age as Ye Lingling.

Six or seven years old, killing a soul beast of nearly ten thousand years in a single blow, what kind of concept was that?

Could they afford to offend someone like this?

With even her teacher not speaking up for her, Ye Lingling felt even more wronged, but she also knew that she couldn't afford to offend them.

She could only bury her head, trying to hide her tears.

Just as she thought they would leave soon.

Poseinan turned back and pouted, "What a stingy person, I only took a few gold coins from you."

"Forget it, forget it, I'll give them back to you then."

Saying that, he shoved the pouch back to Ye Lingling.

Seeing the pouch she had lost and now recovered, Ye Lingling blinked her tear-filled eyes, disbelieving.

She glanced at Poseinan, who was about to leave, and quickly tried to explain, "That... I didn't mean it like that..."

However, Poseinan, who had already set off with the Sea Witch, was tens of meters away in the blink of an eye and didn't look back.

"Teacher... they're just leaving like this?"

Ye Lingling pursed her lips, her head drooping slightly in disappointment.

She had clearly wanted to say that she wasn't stingy.

Teacher Chen smiled and said, "Alright, Lingling, don't overthink it. People like them probably aren't short of money."

Ye Lingling nodded, but looking at the pouch with all the gold coins still inside, she felt a little guilty.

After all, he had saved her, and asking for compensation was a reasonable act.

She made up her mind.

If she had the chance to meet him again.

She would definitely explain clearly to Poseinan.

She wasn't stingy at all!

However, that was assuming she had the chance to meet him again...

The child's fleeting melancholy came and went quickly.

She just didn't know when their next meeting would be.

The edge of Sunset Forest.

The bloody sunset in the sky divided it into two colors.

Poseinan and the Sea Witch finally arrived at this forest, the place with the greatest opportunities on the Douluo Continent.

"Sister Hai, I'll have to trouble you from now on. I need to find a treasure land shrouded in poisonous mist."

"Don't worry, Little Nan Nan. Although I'm not good at sensing, Sunset Forest is only so big. Even if it takes more time, it'll only be a week at most, and I'll find it."

Thus, the two began their search day and night.

Three days passed quietly.

When the Sea Witch brought Poseinan to a perilous cliff edge and looked down at the valley covered in poisonous mist below, Poseinan's heart leaped with joy.

"This is it!"