Picking up the Dragon Whisker Needle! Sending Xiao Wu Home, Nearly Encountering the Peerless Dragon and Snake!

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, casting its intense rays down upon the earth.

A handsome youth, fair as jade, walked along the streets of Soto City, instantly drawing side-glances from the passersby—all because he was accompanied by two stunning beauties of vastly different temperaments, one on each side.

"Brother~"

Tang Shan glanced at the crowd by the roadside who were gritting their teeth while staring at Lan Yu. A clever idea struck her; she winked at Xiao Wu, reached out, and hooked her arm through his, acting like a spoiled child in a soft voice.

"Hmm?"

Xiao Wu caught the signal instantly. She immediately grabbed Lan Yu's other arm and said in a sweet voice, "Brother Yu~"

"Don't make trouble."

No sooner had he spoken than a blond youth walked toward them—it was none other than Dai Mubai, who had just joined Shrek Academy.

Dai Mubai's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and he drew a sharp breath. After brushing past the three of them, he immediately turned back, his eyes fixed firmly on Lan Yu's retreating figure.

There's an even greater expert?!

As the Star Luo Prince, he had reached level 25 soul power at only twelve years old, yet he had never had such breathtaking beauties by his side.

The youth before him looked even younger than he was, yet he was flanked by two girls of peerless beauty.

At this thought, Dai Mubai couldn't help but let out a long sigh, feeling a sincere sense of admiration: "A real man should be like this!"

On the other side, Lan Yu led the two girls to a shop hung with plaques of various martial souls. He raised an eyebrow and said with a faint smile, "Alright, aren't you going to let go of me yet?"

With that, he stepped into the shop alone.

The shop door was wide open, and the interior was dim, lit only by the sunlight streaming through a skylight in the roof. Standing in the light was a woman wearing thin-rimmed glasses, her head bowed as she drew.

"The items are all priced. Look for yourselves," the woman said without looking up.

Flanyue, gender-swapped.

Lan Yu was slightly stunned, but he quickly felt relieved—in a world turned upside down, nothing was strange.

He withdrew his gaze and scanned the shop, quickly locking onto his target.

Found it!

Lan Yu walked to the wall and picked up a mottled, translucent crystal. "I want this."

"I want this!"

"One hundred gold soul coins. Put them on the table."

Lan Yu nodded, took a pouch of gold soul coins from his storage ring, and stepped forward to place it on the table.

The moment he turned, his gaze involuntarily swept over the drawing board—it depicted a woman in black, with five characters inscribed below: My beloved, Liu Erlong.

The corner of Lan Yu's mouth twitched violently.

"Is there something else?" Flanyue's pen paused. She looked up, frowning, her tone turning colder.

"Nothing." Lan Yu shook his head, tucked the crystal into his storage ring, and turned to walk out of the shop.

Outside, the two girls saw him emerge and immediately greeted him.

Before they could speak, Lan Yu smiled faintly and said, "Let's go first. Let's get a hotel room; I have a big treasure to show you!"

Get a hotel room?! A big treasure?!

Tang Shan and Xiao Wu exchanged glances, each harboring her own thoughts, and were led by Lan Yu into a nearby hotel.

Under the envious gaze of the staff, the three of them went upstairs and entered a guest room.

"Xiao Shan, you'll definitely like this!" Lan Yu closed the door behind him, his tone filled with a hint of excitement.

"I... I like it?" Tang Shan was stunned. Her pretty face flushed red instantly, her heart raced, and she couldn't even speak clearly.

"Lan Yu... this, it's still broad daylight!" Xiao Wu looked at the frozen Tang Shan, suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, her voice trembling.

"What are you mumbling about?"

Lan Yu placed the crystal on the floor. Hearing this, he paused and turned around, looking at them with a bewildered expression.

Forget it!

Martial Soul Avatar!

As his soul power surged, a pair of curved dragon horns protruded from Lan Yu's forehead, his hands transformed into dragon claws, and two purple soul rings rose slowly from beneath his feet.

"Second Soul Skill, Roaming Dragon Qi Wall!"

As the words fell, a translucent energy barrier condensed out of thin air around the crystal.

This soul skill could be switched at will between a personal shield and a directional wall. The qi wall possessed a natural flow that deflected force, capable of dissipating seventy percent of physical attacks, with extremely low continuous soul power consumption.

"First Soul Skill, Dragon Strike Claw!"

Lan Yu let out a low shout, and a half-meter-tall phantom of a purple-gold dragon claw slammed down, smashing fiercely into the crystal.

The crystal shattered into powder upon impact. Countless fine golden glints burst out from within, colliding repeatedly inside the qi wall before falling to the ground a moment later.

Only then did Lan Yu withdraw the qi wall and step forward to collect the golden threads into his ring.

These golden threads were precious; as long as one channeled soul power into them, they could transform into Dragon Whisker Needles, and the Dragon Whisker Needle was the bane of all protective qi.

Xiao Wu and Tang Shan only then reacted, first letting out a collective sigh of relief, then feeling a strange sense of disappointment as they strolled forward.

"Brother, is this the 'big treasure' you were talking about?"

Tang Shan puffed out her cheeks and glared at him, her voice trailing off with a soft, sweet lilt.

"The Dragon Whisker Needle—does that not count?" Lan Yu asked in confusion, raising his hand to take out a few golden beads and handing them over.

Tang Shan took them, shot him a resentful look, and turned to explain the situation to the bewildered Xiao Wu.

Lan Yu stood to the side, watching the two of them, feeling completely at a loss.

After resting for a moment, the three of them set off toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

Along the way, Xiao Wu's mood remained somewhat low, and Tang Shan, who usually loved to cling to Lan Yu, sat quietly to the side.

Half a day later, the three arrived at a small town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Brother, it's getting dark. Shall we stay here for the night before heading in?" Xiao Wu looked at the darkening sky, her voice laced with a hint of pleading.

"Alright."

Late at night.

Lan Yu lay on the bed with Tang Shan and Xiao Wu resting their heads on his chest, one on each side. None of the three felt any sleepiness, each lost in their own thoughts.

The next morning, knowing she could no longer avoid it, Xiao Wu rose early.

"Brother, Xiao Shan, will you walk with me?"

Seeing Lan Yu's hesitant expression, Xiao Wu chuckled softly. "Don't worry. From the moment I step into the Star Dou Great Forest, Er Ming will be able to sense my presence."

The three walked along a forest path in the outer zone, encountering attacks from a few century-level spirit beasts, all of which Lan Yu dealt with effortlessly.

Suddenly, the woods ahead stirred, and a Datura Snake, estimated to be over seven meters long, lunged out.

The moment the Datura Snake caught sight of Xiao Wu, it bared its fangs and charged toward her.

"First Spirit Skill: Gravity Dragon Might!"

Tang Shan's eyes narrowed. Instantly, a deep yellow gravity vortex appeared beneath the Datura Snake, pinning it firmly to the ground.

Even so, the Datura Snake continued to flick its tongue, twisting its body as it struggled toward them.

"Vile beast, you have brought death upon yourself!"

"First Spirit Skill: Dragon Strike Claw!"

Lan Yu let out a low shout and swung both claws simultaneously. Several pale purple blades tore through the air, striking precisely at the Datura Snake's vital seven-inch mark.

The Datura Snake, which had been struggling frantically just a moment ago, went limp on the ground in the blink of an eye, motionless, save for its tongue still slowly flickering in and out of its mouth.

Lan Yu stepped forward, intending to deliver the finishing blow.

"Wait!"

Two figures suddenly darted out from the woods, followed immediately by an aged yet sharp female voice.

Hearing this, Lan Yu immediately retreated a step, shielding Tang Shan and Xiao Wu behind him, his gaze wary as he looked at the newcomers.

He leaned to the side and whispered to Xiao Wu, "Tell Er Ming to come quickly."

Upon seeing that the newcomers were an old woman and a young girl, Xiao Wu realized who they were and secretly began to circulate her aura.

Both arrivals were female. The elder had hair as white as frost and leaned on a snake-headed cane; the young girl was about twelve or thirteen, dressed in sharp, practical attire.

"Greetings, young ones. I am Chao Tianxiang."

The elder's gaze swept over the Datura Snake on the ground as she spoke slowly, "Might you be willing to yield this Datura Snake to us?"

The words sounded like a request, but the tone carried an air of refusal that would not be brooked.

Chao Tianxiang?!

Lan Yu's heart skipped a beat.

The Peerless Dragon and Snake!!

His heart sank instantly, praying that the Dragon Duke, Meng Shu, was not in the vicinity.