A Soul Master Who Doesn't Like Studying Isn't a Good Cook!

The aftershock of Ning Yuan's punch still echoed through the scene.

After this battle, Ning Yuan's status as a genius was completely established. No one was stubborn enough anymore to think Ning Yuan could be casually handled.

Xie Yue and Hu Liena walked over to Yan's side.

Xie Yue helped Yan up in one motion.

Yan grimaced in pain.

"How was it? You were always shouting about wanting a fight with Ning Yuan. Now you got your wish, didn't you?"

Xie Yue said in a sarcastic tone.

"Hiss..."

"How was I supposed to know this little guy was hiding his strength? I... I got careless and didn't dodge."

Yan's mouth was still hard, but he knew Ning Yuan had held back with that punch just now. Otherwise, it would not have been as simple as suffering a few light injuries.

"Let this teach you a lesson. Don't be so impulsive next time."

"Little Junior Brother Ning Yuan is amazing. Not only is he so cute, he can fight so well too. As expected of the junior brother I had my eye on!"

Hu Liena looked in the direction where Ning Yuan had disappeared.

Her eyes were full of stars.

Seeing this, Xie Yue and Yan helplessly held their foreheads.

Here we go again.

[Not bad! Little Ning Yuan, you've really mastered the art of showing off in front of everyone! I saw it just now. The way quite a few girls under the stage looked at you changed. I'm afraid you're completely famous now.]

Venom started up with its pinpoint roasting again.

[I just want to keep a low profile. I'm not some pure, honest pushover.]

Ning Yuan let out the pent-up breath in his chest.

Forget it. These were all minor things. Only becoming stronger was important.

Ning Yuan turned the page on the matter in his heart.

He was not afraid Yan would come knocking again to reclaim his dignity. If he really did that...

Then he would not deserve to be part of the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall.

Right now, he should start preparing to obtain his second spirit ring.

There was also the matter of going to Spirit Hall's library to look for books about immortal herbs and medicinal plants.

It was preparation for possibly meeting Dugu Bo in the future.

Though he was confident he could cure Dugu Bo's poison by following the method in the original work...

He did not recognize the other immortal herbs in that medicinal garden.

He did not want to end up like an incompetent husband when the time came.

Facing a ground full of immortal herbs, yet not knowing how to use them.

How did that saying go again?

A spirit master who doesn't love studying isn't a good cook!

Just as he was thinking this, he ran straight into Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan, coming the other way.

"Your Excellency Chrysanthemum Douluo!"

Ning Yuan bowed respectfully.

"Your performance just now was very good!"

Yue Guan said approvingly.

"You saw it?"

"Of course! You defeated Yan of the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall head-on with one punch. If that doesn't count as a good performance, then what does?"

"And His Holiness the Pope also knows what happened just now. She was very satisfied with your performance as well."

Yue Guan relayed Bibi Dong's praise for Ning Yuan's performance.

"Even His Holiness the Pope knows?"

"With all the commotion this caused, and His Holiness the Pope being so busy every day, haven't I just caused trouble for His Holiness?"

"Enough, stop being cheeky!"

Yue Guan laughingly scolded him.

"Do you really think those little thoughts of yours could be hidden from His Holiness the Pope?"

"Hehe, His Holiness the Pope truly sees everything!"

"Nothing gets past her sharp eyes!"

Ning Yuan grinned cheekily.

Yue Guan also looked at Ning Yuan with approval. The boy seemed honest, but he was very clear-headed. He knew what he wanted, and his goals were precise.

"His Holiness the Pope said we're to hunt your second soul ring for you."

"Do you have a clear target yourself?"

"If not, I can give you some suggestions."

Hearing this, Ning Yuan thought it over.

Right now, he did indeed have some ideas about what soul ring to add to his martial soul next.

Strictly speaking, his martial soul Venom also counted as a type of beast martial soul, belonging to the branch of assault-type soul masters.

But Ning Yuan did not plan to follow a purely assault-type path. Though overwhelming force could break all tricks, the battle scenarios he would excel in would be too limited. It was better to take a route that combined offense and defense.

It was just like Qian Daoliu's Six-Winged Angel martial soul. His soul skills were not all offensive soul skills; there were also support-type and enhancement-type soul skills.

At this moment, he had a rough idea in mind.

Because his own martial soul Venom possessed the ability to extend tentacles, he could completely take the route of a control-type soul master on the surface. Just like Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, he could extend tentacles to wrap around his teammates and carry out rapid movement and maneuvering.

Once the opponent thought he was a control-type soul master with no attacking ability or means of self-protection, he would pretend to be harmless and ambush them hard.

The moment his martial soul possessed him, he would let them know what a true assault-type battle soul master was.

[No, Venom won't allow it! Venom likes fighting. Venom likes eating opponents' brains head-on. I don't want to spend all day flinging tentacles around and cosplaying Octopus either.]

[Objection overruled! Object again and I won't let you eat brains!]

[Capitalist! Slave owner!]

Ning Yuan blocked out Venom's complaints in his mind.

"How is it? Have you decided?"

Yue Guan spoke up to remind him.

Ning Yuan snapped back to his senses.

He told Yue Guan his idea.

After Yue Guan heard it, he looked at Ning Yuan in astonishment.

Why was this kid's head full of such strange ideas?

"Fine! As long as you have your own plan!"

"Then let's set off and hunt your soul ring."

Yue Guan wrapped Ning Yuan in soul power and brought him flying toward the direction of the forest.

At this moment, Ning Yuan suddenly thought of a question. He asked Titled Douluo Yue Guan, "Where is Spirit Hall's library? I want to go in and take a look, to learn about immortal herbs and medicinal herbs on Douluo Continent."

"Why did you suddenly think of learning that?"

"Well, I'm just curious."

"If you really want to learn, there's no need to go to the library. You can come find me."

"Come find you?"

Yue Guan suddenly cleared his throat. "Have you forgotten what my martial soul is?"

Only then did Ning Yuan remember that Titled Douluo Yue Guan's martial soul was the Chrysanthemum Sky-Piercing Velvet, one of the famous immortal herbs.

Right, how had he forgotten that?

It could be said that among the native inhabitants of Douluo Continent, no one understood all kinds of immortal herbs better than Yue Guan.

He really had been looking far away while ignoring what was right beside him. With Titled Douluo Yue Guan here, what library did he still need to go to?

"After I help you hunt your soul ring, come to my place. I have all the knowledge you want to understand there."

"Then I'll thank Titled Douluo Yue Guan in advance."

Ning Yuan kept this matter in mind for now.

With Yue Guan's speed, it did not take long before the two of them arrived at the outskirts of Star Dou Forest.

As soon as they landed, Yue Guan instructed Ning Yuan to stay close to him.

"So this is Star Dou Forest?"

In the original work, this was a popular check-in spot. A lot of events happened here.

Speaking of which, he wondered whether Xiao Wu had transformed into a human by now and gone to Nuoding Academy.

Should he take this chance to go have a look?

He looked at Yue Guan Douluo off to the side again, then decided against it.

After all, the core region of Star Dou Forest was home to Da Ming and Er Ming, two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts who were exceptionally skilled in battle.

If a fight really broke out, Yue Guan Douluo probably would not be able to take it.

[I smell freedom. There are so many delicious brains here.]

In his mind, Venom started getting restless again.

[Don't worry. I'll let you eat your fill in a bit.]

Coming to Star Dou Forest was, for Venom, no different from walking into a buffet.

For the next half a day or so, Yue Guan led Ning Yuan through the border between the outer and middle regions of Star Dou Forest, where they encountered several soul beasts with decent cultivation ages one after another.

A pitch-black Nether Leopard, around eight hundred years old, was dozing on a tree, its breathing long and steady.

Ning Yuan glanced at it, then shook his head, his face full of disdain.

[Wow! I can already smell how good it is! Want to eat! Venom wants to eat!]

[No. Its age is too low. You can't eat it!]

[But you promised!]

Venom was clearly a little aggrieved.

"Its age is too low."

Too low?

Yue Guan said nothing and continued leading the way.

They then encountered an Iron-Armored Poison Lizard covered in dark green scales, about twelve hundred years old. It was hiding by a pool, and after sensing Yue Guan's aura, it shrank into the mud, not daring to move.

[This time the age is enough, right? It smells so good. I want to eat it.]

[No. You can only eat the soul beasts I decide to absorb a soul ring from.]

[This one won't do, that one won't do. You clearly promised when we first came that I could eat whatever I wanted...]

[Stingy!]

Seeing this, Ning Yuan shook his head again. "Its age is still too low."

Yue Guan's brow twitched slightly, but he still said nothing.

After walking for a while longer, they came across a Crimson Flame Porcupine, scarlet all over, with three backward-facing spines growing from the top of its head. It was about eighteen hundred years old and was rooting around the base of a dead tree, the fiery aura on its body scorching all the grass and leaves nearby.

[This... I know. Can't eat it, right!]

Before Ning Yuan could even speak, Venom had already answered for him.

Ning Yuan looked it over, then still shook his head. "The age has gone up, but a fire-attribute soul beast isn't very compatible with my poison attribute. I'm afraid it might attach a conflicting attribute."

Yue Guan stopped in his tracks.

He turned around and looked at Ning Yuan with a half-smile. "You don't want an eight-hundred-year one, you don't want a twelve-hundred-year one, and you're afraid an eighteen-hundred-year one will conflict."

"Kid, just how old of one do you want?"

"Don't get carried away and aim too high!"

"My first soul ring was already at the thousand-year level. No matter what, my second soul ring can't be lower than it, right?"

He had forgotten about that.

Yue Guan was helpless. This kid really could not be measured by common sense.

Ning Yuan smiled. "Senior Yue Guan, I know what I'm doing. Let's keep going forward. There'll definitely be something suitable."

Yue Guan stared at him for two seconds, then did not press further. He turned and continued ahead.

I'd like to see just how old of one you can pick.