The Two-Person Pyramid Scheme

When Huo Yuhao first met Su Ling, he had felt timid and insecure.

It was not until Su Ling greeted him with a gentle smile that Huo Yuhao's impression began to change.

Su Ling's smile was like Senior Brother Bei Bei's—it made people feel comfortable and safe.

At first, Huo Yuhao had been secretly pleased that he had gotten to know Su Ling.

But now, he did not dare think that way.

Anyone capable of having a Super Douluo accompany him to hunt Soul Beasts must have possessed extraordinary talent. How could someone like that possibly think highly of a person like him...?

Perhaps that kindness earlier had only been for Senior Brother Bei Bei's sake.

At that thought, Huo Yuhao unconsciously lowered his head, looking utterly gloomy.

Bei Bei and Tang Ya had focused all their attention on Su Ling and had not noticed anything unusual about Huo Yuhao.

"Um, Xiao Ling, can I ask you something?" Tang Ya sidled over, rubbing her hands together with a beaming smile.

"Uh... go ahead."

For some reason, seeing her wearing the expression of a shady merchant gave Su Ling an ominous premonition.

"Do you have any family?"

Su Ling:?

Bei Bei:?

Bei Bei choked, then hurriedly pulled Tang Ya away and covered her mouth. Looking at Su Ling, he smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Junior Brother Su Ling. Xiao Ya didn't mean it like that..."

Su Ling had finally witnessed Tang Ya's lion-like language system.

"It's fine. I understand what she means. Besides, I really don't have parents. I grew up eating meals provided by all sorts of households."

Su Ling could not help recalling that in his previous life, he had merely come from a single-parent family. Due to family circumstances, he had been forced to drop out of school early and struggle alone in another province.

In the blink of an eye, nearly ten years had passed. The person at home had never cared whether he lived or died. Receiving even one call a year was rare, and whenever one came, it was only to ask how much money he had saved.

Honestly, Su Ling did not care much for familial affection.

Only the old man in the little mountain village where he had been reborn in this life made him feel attached.

He wondered how that old fellow was doing now.

Just as Su Ling's expression grew desolate.

An excited shout rang out.

"That's wonderful!"

Tang Ya jumped excitedly, her eyes shining. Even Bei Bei could barely hold her back as he repeatedly urged in a low voice, "My dear aunt... please don't say that..."

Su Ling:...

Seeing the black lines practically covering Su Ling's face, Tang Ya realized she had said the wrong thing. She immediately pressed her palms together and apologized, "Sorry, sorry! Don't take it to heart. I actually wanted to ask you to join the Tang Sect."

Naturally, Su Ling was not going to hold it against her. He simply accepted the opening and feigned confusion. "The Tang Sect?"

"Yes, yes, yes! The continent's former number one sect!!"

Seeing an opportunity, Tang Ya hurriedly began explaining. With great enthusiasm, she described how magnificent the Tang Sect was and how glorious it had once been.

Bei Bei nodded along from the side, and the two of them played off each other, spinning one grand promise after another. They looked exactly like the two-person pyramid scheme Su Ling had seen back in his hometown during his childhood in his previous life.

Still, he had to admit that the Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, Purple Demon Eye, Mysterious Jade Hand, and various hidden weapons were generally somewhat useful.

After all, hadn't a single Guanyin Tear from Tang God King broken through Angel Qian Renxue's defenses?

He might not use them, but that did not mean he should not have them.

"Alright, I'll think about it." Su Ling pinched his chin, putting on a thoughtful expression.

Hearing that, Tang Ya was overjoyed. If Su Ling joined them, why would her Tang Sect ever need to worry about rising again!?

[Tang Ya's Favorability +10. Obtained 100 Strategy Points.]

Just as Tang Ya indulged in fantasies of the Tang Sect returning to glory.

Xuan Zi returned.

Along with him came seventeen Soul Beasts falling from the sky. They crashed to the ground one after another, raising clouds of dust.

The group looked over and saw that all seventeen were lightning-element Soul Beasts, and none of them were low quality. Even the youngest had been at least four hundred years old.

It seemed Xuan Zi had truly put thought into this.

What they did not know was that all of these Soul Beasts had come from the same lightning pool. That old fellow Xuan Zi had wanted to save himself some trouble, so he had simply scooped them all up at once.

"Kid Su, these are all Soul Beasts highly compatible with your Martial Soul. Pick whichever you like." Xuan Zi patted Su Ling and gestured for him to step forward.

Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Huo Yuhao stared enviously. This was practically putting the meal right into his mouth!

Su Ling nodded at Xuan Zi without standing on ceremony, then walked straight toward the seventeen Soul Beasts.

They lay on the ground trembling, their eyes filled with terror. Xuan Zi had presumably used some "special methods."

Su Ling swept his gaze over every one of them and already had an answer in mind.

Back when he had still lived in the little mountain village, he had gained small rewards such as Constitution +0.1 and +0.3 by raising the favorability of the girls there.

Since they were not goddesses recognized by the system, the rewards had been utterly mediocre. Still, even a mosquito's leg was meat, and after six years of gradual accumulation...

Su Ling could feel that his physical strength had now reached at least the level of a three-ring Soul Elder!

Absorbing thousand-year Soul Rings would be more than manageable.

"Elder Xuan, these two." Su Ling pointed.

They were a thirteen-hundred-year Thunder-Shock Tiger and a thirty-seven-hundred-year Three-Eyed Lightning Owl.

"Hm? Both of these are thousand-year Soul Beasts, and that Three-Eyed Lightning Owl is nearly four thousand years old. Kid Su, are you sure?"

Xuan Zi did not directly refuse. Instead, he asked Su Ling.

Through their brief interaction, he had learned that Su Ling was not a reckless person.

Since Su Ling had chosen these two Soul Beasts, he surely had his reasons!

Seeing that Su Ling intended to absorb those two Soul Beasts, Tang Ya grew anxious and stepped forward to persuade him. "Xiao Ling, why not forget it? These two Soul Beasts are too old..."

Bei Bei nodded along from the side.

Even Huo Yuhao clenched his hands nervously. But with Xuan Zi present, he did not dare speak and could only watch Su Ling with concern.

"Don't worry. I only do things I'm confident about."

Su Ling gave them a reassuring look, then turned to Xuan Zi and said solemnly, "Elder Xuan, I'm certain!"

"Good, you've got guts! But..."

Xuan Zi abruptly changed his tone and suddenly threw a punch at Su Ling. He did not use Soul Power, and he used only thirty percent of his strength.

Everyone was startled by Xuan Zi's sudden "attack."

Su Ling did not dare underestimate him. He immediately summoned Martial Soul Possession, curled his five fingers into a fist, and met Xuan Zi's punch with all his strength.

Bang—

Xuan Zi shook out his numb hand, then looked at Su Ling's hand, which had transformed into a Qilin Claw. Delight flashed through his eyes.

"Good boy, this old man approves!"

After saying that, he looked at the Soul Beasts and waved his sleeve.

Aside from the two unlucky beasts Su Ling had selected, all the other Soul Beasts tucked their tails and fled in panic.

They moved with astonishing speed, as though they wished they could grow two more legs.

Very soon, only the Thunder-Shock Tiger and Three-Eyed Lightning Owl remained. When Su Ling approached, the two immediately lost control of their bowels and bladders.

Su Ling did not waste words. Under Martial Soul Possession, he drove two Qilin Claws into their hearts.

The two defenseless Soul Beasts died on the spot!

Two purple halos followed Su Ling's pull and enveloped him. He closed his eyes, focused his mind, and began absorbing the Soul Rings.

Su Ling's Sea of Spirit.

The moment the wills of the Thunder-Shock Tiger and Three-Eyed Lightning Owl entered this place, the two resting Qilin Emperors suddenly opened their eyes. Their savage, imposing auras pressed down like an enormous hand.

Those pairs of dragon eyes were like a blazing sun and bright moon hanging in the heavens. Before the Thunder-Shock Tiger and Three-Eyed Lightning Owl could even show terror in their eyes, their souls scattered one after the other.

The Soul Ring absorption process was exceptionally easy. Absorbing them one after the other without pause, Su Ling did not even furrow his brow.

Xuan Zi had expected as much, but witnessing it with his own eyes still left him somewhat shocked. "Good, good, good! As expected of the Qilin child this old man chose. You truly are extraordinary!"

Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Huo Yuhao stood frozen in place, their emotions tangled.

Tang Ya was happy for Su Ling, and a trace more admiration entered her gaze. After all, the stronger Su Ling became, the faster the Tang Sect would rise to glory once he joined!

Bei Bei, meanwhile, felt bitter inside. He felt that being born in the same era as Su Ling was a kind of tragedy.

As for Huo Yuhao... he felt even more inferior.

Several minutes passed.

The Soul Ring absorption was complete.

Su Ling slowly opened his eyes and rose to his feet. With a shake of his body, two purple Soul Rings gradually emerged.

"Good!" Xuan Zi stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction, preparing to step forward and congratulate him.

At that moment, Su Ling's legs suddenly gave out, and his face instantly turned pale.

"Kid Su!?"

Xuan Zi's expression changed drastically. He flashed forward to support Su Ling and hurriedly sent a thread of Soul Power into him.

"Quick... quickly, give me something to eat. My hypoglycemia is acting up..." Su Ling said weakly.

After fusing his Martial Soul, Su Ling had urgently needed energy replenishment. But Xuan Zi's questioning had made him overlook that.

When a person forced himself past the hunger stage, he would not feel anything unusual for a short while.

At that point, his stomach would no longer feel hungry, nor would his mouth feel thirsty. But once the aftereffects hit...

The feeling was downright life-threatening!

Seeing Su Ling about to faint, Xuan Zi panicked.

He opened his storage Soul Tool, only to discover that he had long since used up all his food supplies. That roast chicken earlier had been the last of it.

"This is bad!"

Xuan Zi inwardly cried out in alarm and hurriedly turned toward Bei Bei and the other two, his gaze urgent.

Tang Ya and Bei Bei shook their heads. They never carried food in their storage Soul Tools.

At that moment, Huo Yuhao timidly raised his hand. "Um... Your Excellency, I can cook..." He pointed at the Thunder-Shock Tiger, which was already starting to stiffen.