"Old Rhino, I can't swallow this grievance!"
"We chased them for so long, and we clearly told them to stop!"
"But these guys went way too far!"
Old Ape clenched his fists. He truly intended to let the Soul Ring go to waste rather than let Qin Qi and the others absorb it.
"Even if you can't swallow it, Old Ape, you still have to."
"That bespectacled one and that kid are both ruthless."
"Before we could even react, they had already taken a hostage."
"Now we have to do whatever they say, or your little ape's life won't be safe."
Old Rhino sighed helplessly. They truly had not expected that young man to be so decisive, so reckless.
He had actually rushed straight in to seize a hostage. What they had not expected even more was that the Power Ape Martial Soul, known for its ultimate strength, had its bones shattered by a single punch.
Those consecutive surprises had made them lose the initiative. Now, there was nothing they could do.
Shi Mo began absorbing the Soul Ring while Shi Mo stood guard over him. Both of them knew that time was pressing.
So they absorbed the Soul Ring with utmost focus. Before long, the absorption was complete, and Shi Mo broke through Level Twenty, entering the Soul Grandmaster realm!
"Boss Qin Qi, we're done absorbing it."
Shi Mo and Shi Mo instinctively walked over to Qin Qi, reporting the situation while asking what they should do next.
"Bro, here's the hostage. We'll get going first. Meet up at the second marked location."
Qin Qi handed the little ape to Qin Ming, then immediately fled with the Shi Mo brothers.
"Kid!"
Old Ape tried to chase after them when he saw this.
"Don't move, you two!"
Qin Ming tightened his grip around the little ape's neck slightly, and the little ape immediately felt like he was suffocating.
"Fine, we won't move. We won't move. Don't hurt my son!"
Old Ape hurriedly said.
"You two, I don't want to become mortal enemies with you. Once my students have gone far enough, I'll return this child to you."
"I also hope you won't pursue us any further. Think carefully about the forces behind you."
"Think about what the consequences would be if you truly became enemies with our academy."
As Qin Ming spoke to stall for time, he also made the stakes clear to the two of them. There was currently some bad blood between them.
This kind of conflict was common among Soul Masters. It did not count as becoming mortal enemies; once it passed, it passed.
But if someone really died, then they would truly become mortal enemies, and things would become troublesome.
Meanwhile, on Qin Qi's side—
"Boss Qin Qi, isn't it a little bad that we left Teacher Qin Ming behind alone?"
Shi Mo looked back. He felt somewhat sorry toward Qin Ming and a little guilty.
"You really need to study harder from now on."
"My bro is a Soul Emperor above Level Sixty. He's crazy fast."
"One of them is a defense type and the other is a strength type. Do you think they can catch my bro?"
"As long as we get away first, they definitely won't be able to do anything to my bro."
Qin Qi sighed helplessly. These two had good hearts, but they really were not very bright.
"So that's how it is!"
Shi Mo wore an enlightened expression. So there was another layer to it.
After the three of them had traveled for around twenty minutes—
"Gentlemen, farewell."
Qin Ming judged that enough time had passed, then suddenly hurled the little ape in his hand away.
At the same time, he released flames that enveloped the area. He charged directly into the flames and vanished.
"Damn it!"
Old Ape caught his son and immediately wanted to give chase, but by the time the flames dispersed, Qin Ming was already gone.
"Damn bastard! You shameless coward! If you've got the guts, fight me head-on!"
Old Ape punched the nearby tree, driving his fist straight through a trunk as thick as a person.
"Enough, Old Ape. Let it go."
"Although we suffered a little and lost some face, everyone is fine. That's what matters."
Old Rhino patted Old Ape on the shoulder and spoke.
"No, I can't swallow this! Let's chase them down. I have to give them a couple of punches!"
Old Ape's face was red by then. He was so furious that his veins seemed ready to burst. He had never been humiliated like this before.
"Don't chase them. What will you do if you catch up? Actually kill them?"
"That bespectacled man was stalling for time, but what he said made sense."
"Right now, this is only a small conflict between us."
"If you really catch up and beat them to death, it becomes a matter between two forces."
"Then the trouble will be huge."
Old Rhino had a steadier temperament. Although that Four-Eyed Scale-Armored Beast had been meant for his son, Little Rhino—
There were countless Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. If this one was gone, they could simply find another. There was no need to get so worked up.
"Damn it!"
Old Ape had nothing left to say. It seemed he could only swallow this grievance.
"That young man... will definitely become an extraordinary figure in the future."
Old Rhino looked in the direction Qin Qi and the others had left, Qin Qi's decisive actions appearing in his mind.
He could not help but sigh softly. Then he looked at his own son, who only seemed more and more foolish no matter how he looked at him.
After entering the forest, Qin Qi and the others left markers along the way to avoid getting lost.
They were now waiting at the second marker point. Only a few minutes later, Qin Ming arrived.
"Bro, are you alright?"
Qin Qi was the first to step forward and inspect him. Only after confirming that Qin Ming was uninjured did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"I'm fine."
"Shi Mo, Shi Mo, Qin Qi, the three of you were very reckless this time."
"But it was also a very wise judgment. In the Star Dou Great Forest, the most dangerous things are not Soul Beasts, but people."
"Many people slaughter one another over profit or hatred. It doesn't matter how powerful your backing is outside."
"In this great forest, only the most primitive strength matters!"
Qin Ming looked at the three of them, his eyes carrying some satisfaction. This practical training session had produced excellent results.
"Bro, at a time like this, you're still talking about that. You really need to fix that teacher habit of yours."
Qin Qi teased.
"Hahahaha."
The Shi Mo brothers looked at Qin Ming, who had returned safely, and listened to Qin Qi's teasing. They could not help but laugh.
For a moment, the atmosphere among the four became lively.
"Alright, next, it's time to find a Soul Beast for you. I've already determined the type."
"But the age has not been decided yet. How many years old of a Soul Ring are you planning to absorb this time?"
Qin Ming looked at Qin Qi. Normally, a second Soul Ring would be around eight hundred years old.
Depending on the Martial Soul and physical condition, it would generally fall between six hundred and eight hundred years.
But Qin Qi was different. His first Soul Ring had already been a thousand-year one.
"Hmm... directly absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring is impossible. Based on the previous tests—"
"I can currently withstand Soul Power pressure above Level Twenty-Five. Combined with my physical test data and the special dispersive nature of the Detached Beast Martial Soul—"
"I think I can absorb a Soul Ring of around four thousand years."
Qin Qi considered it seriously for about five minutes before giving a number.
"Between forty-five hundred and forty-six hundred years. That is the limit."
Qin Ming pushed up his glasses. Looking at Qin Qi, he was greatly surprised by how solid Qin Qi's knowledge of Soul Masters was.
But he did not praise Qin Qi directly. Instead, he calmly gave a more precise figure.
PS: The data above is not incorrect. Soul Power pressure cannot be directly converted into Soul Power Level.
According to the original setting, under normal circumstances, a Level Twenty-Five Soul Master simply cannot withstand Level Twenty-Five Soul Power pressure.
Before you continue