Eighty Thousand Year Purple Lightning Python-Snake, Haki Xuan You This Guy

Inside Shrek Academy's inner courtyard dining hall.

Bai Ran followed his uncle, Ye Tian, into the dining hall's kitchen.

But the moment he stepped inside, he saw the enormous corpse of a soul beast. From its appearance, it looked like a serpentine soul beast with dragon blood.

Even in death, it still radiated pressure. It was clearly a soul beast over ten thousand years old, and very likely no younger than fifty thousand years.

"Uncle?"

"Hm?"

When Ye Tian saw this eighty-thousand-year Purple Lightning Python-Snake, he was completely baffled too.

That thing had not been there just now. Who had sent it over?

"Heh, Master Ye."

Just as Ye Tian was about to ask who had delivered the soul beast, a familiar figure walked out.

It was none other than Xuan Zi.

Clearly, this Purple Lightning Python-Snake had something to do with him.

Xuan Zi's martial soul, the "Gluttonous Divine Ox," possessed dragon blood, so eating soul beasts that contained dragon blood was of considerable help to him.

The medicinal meals Ye Tian made could preserve the energy contained within a soul beast's flesh almost perfectly.

So whenever there were good ingredients, Xuan Zi would send them over for Master Ye to process.

However, the ingredients he had sent over in the past had all been soul beasts of around thirty thousand years, with the highest being no more than fifty thousand years. This eighty-thousand-year Purple Lightning Python-Snake was already enough to serve as some Titled Douluo's ninth soul ring.

And to obtain such a soul beast, Xuan Zi had paid quite the price, practically exhausting this month's allowance as well as the allowances for the next two months.

(You ask about his past allowances? With the way Xuan Zi ate, he was absolutely the type to spend his entire monthly income.)

Under normal circumstances, the corpse of a ten-thousand-year soul beast was not worth much.

But as the era developed, important parts of a soul beast's body could be made into pills, soul tools, or all sorts of other things. Moreover, the older and rarer the soul beast, the higher the price of its corpse.

The nouveau-riche behavior from ten thousand years ago—killing a high-level soul beast, absorbing its soul ring, then casually throwing away the corpse after finding no soul bone—no longer existed.

To a certain extent, this was also closely related to the fact that after ten thousand years of hunting, the number of soul beasts had grown smaller and smaller.

In another ten thousand years, even thousand-year, or perhaps hundred-year soul beasts might become "ninety-nine percent rare goods."

Huo Yuhao: Don't worry, children. I'll take action.

"So it's Elder Xuan. Are you planning to have me process this Purple Lightning Python-Snake for you?"

Counting the days, it did seem like it was this man's turn.

Since it was being done within the rules, Ye Tian really had no way to refuse, even if he had already put the other party on his blacklist.

"That's right. Little Ye, just help me stew the whole snake into one pot."

One snake could be prepared in several ways, and the taste might be better that way, but seasoned foodies all knew that only stewing it into soup could lock in the essence within the meat to the greatest extent.

What was more, aside from getting a whole pot of meat, he could also drink a whole pot of soup. For an old gourmand like Xuan Zi, who spent nearly all his expenses on food and drink, this was also the most cost-effective choice.

"No problem, Elder Xuan. Please come by again in three days."

"Much appreciated, Master Ye."

Ye Tian did not charge any processing fees from members of the academy.

Naturally, Xuan Zi would not be stingy with a word of thanks either.

"Wait, Elder Xuan."

"What is it, Master Ye?"

When he heard Ye Tian call out to him, Xuan Zi hurriedly stopped in his tracks.

Xuan Zi: Could it be that the processing is too difficult, so Master Ye is preparing to charge me? Damn it, this old man has already spent all his money on this Purple Lightning Python-Snake. Am I going to have to take out something else to settle the bill?

"Elder Xuan, could I trouble you to help look after my nephew? Around five o'clock later, could you send him to the outer courtyard dining hall?"

Because he had to spend the next while handling this eighty-thousand-year Purple Lightning Python-Snake, Ye Tian had almost no energy to spare to look after Bai Ran.

The inner courtyard was not the outer courtyard. If he ran around inside the inner courtyard and happened to offend someone, Ye Tian would find that a headache too.

"Oh, I wondered what it was. Leave this matter to this old man."

Xuan Zi could not help letting out a sigh of relief.

So it was only helping watch a child for a while.

It just so happened that he was very free this afternoon.

If Bai Ran were going out with Xuan Zi, he would be scared half to death. But inside Shrek Academy, Xuan Zi should still be fairly reliable.

Getting killed by friendly forces inside the base?

That would not even be an undercover agent. That would be an outright rebel in broad daylight.

Since the kitchen was busy dealing with that Purple Lightning Python-Snake.

Bai Ran was also led by Xuan Zi to sit down in the dining hall.

Perhaps it was because of the influence of his martial soul, or perhaps it was a habit he had developed.

The moment Xuan Zi sat down, he pulled out two steamed buns from who knew where.

"Little guy, want one?"

Seeing the child in front of him keep staring at him, Xuan Zi felt a little too embarrassed to eat alone, so he spoke while handing a steamed bun over.

"Elder Xuan, have you already gotten so poor that you're reduced to gnawing on steamed buns?"

Bai Ran did not reach out to take it. Instead, he asked a question that left Xuan Zi somewhat unsure how to answer.

"Kid Bai, don't look down on this steamed bun. This is a freshly made steamed bun produced by Dongbao. One of these costs a full 21 Gold Soul Coins."

Bai Ran: Dongbao steamed bun, freshly made, 21 Gold Soul Coins? I have reason to suspect you're implying something.

"Elder Xuan, you eat it. I'm not hungry."

Bai Ran waved his hand. Forget 21 Gold Soul Coins, even if it were 210 Gold Soul Coins, he still would not be interested.

After all, compared to the food his uncle made, anything sold outside tasted rather dull and flavorless.

"You little guy..."

Seeing this, Xuan Zi helplessly shook his head.

While Xuan Zi was gnawing on the steamed bun, Bai Ran did not know if it was his imagination, but he suddenly smelled a sour stench.

After carefully searching around, he discovered that Xuan Zi had actually taken off his shoes.

Though such behavior was not the least bit civilized, it was also not the least bit hygienic.

However, what Bai Ran had not expected was that Xuan Zi, who was currently gnawing on a steamed bun, suddenly reached out and scratched between his toes a couple of times, while not forgetting to sniff them.

"Elder Xuan, what are you doing?"

He had originally thought that taking off one's shoes while eating was already unmatched under heaven, but who would have thought there was an even greater master!

Scratching his feet in the middle of eating—this was simply vile beyond measure.

"Ah, well, this old man..."

Xuan Zi was somewhat embarrassed. Clearly, this lousy old man was used to living without restraint in his daily life.

At this moment, Bai Ran could only be glad that he had not eaten the steamed bun Xuan Zi had just handed him.

Otherwise, he guessed he would already have been unable to stop himself from throwing up.

Bai Ran: Haki Xuan, do you still have even the slightest trace of humanity left?

"Oh right, Kid Bai, your martial soul seems to be a food-type martial soul too, doesn't it? Make some for this old man to try."

Although he had gone along to the Star Dou Great Forest last time, an accident had occurred before it was Bai Ran's turn to absorb a soul ring.

As a result, Xuan Zi had not even seen what Bai Ran's martial soul actually was.

"Fine."

Bai Ran did not hesitate at all, taking out a cup of Luckin Iced Americano and placing it on the table.

In any case, it was all coffee, so he could make do with that.

"Hm?"

A black beverage—it really was not something one saw often.

Xuan Zi remembered that the last time he drank a black beverage, it seemed to have been a specialty drink called "Cuttlefish Ink" that he encountered in a coastal town in the south.