Target: Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Vampire Demon Vine!

In Jiang Yu's courtyard, Blue Silver Grass surged like an emerald tide. Countless strands of life energy rose from the grass and rushed toward Jiang Yu.

Not far from Jiang Yu, Dugu Yan was also cultivating intently. Sweat had soaked through her clothes, yet she did not give up.

While guiding Dugu Yan's cultivation, Jiang Yu silently circulated the soul power within his body.

Jiang Yu discovered that the benefits brought by consuming Immortal Herbs and his martial soul's second awakening far exceeded his expectations.

Jiang Yu's soul power was advancing at an incredible rate. Now, his soul power had reached the threshold of Rank 40.

He could obtain his fourth soul ring at any time and become a four-ringed Soul Ancestor.

Just as Jiang Yu was considering what kind of soul ring he should seek, the courtyard gate was violently pushed open, and Qian Renxue ran in with a panicked expression.

"Jiang Yu! This is bad! Something happened!"

Qian Renxue's face looked exceptionally grim. Her usual composure had vanished without a trace.

"What is it? What happened?"

Jiang Yu stood up, his brows knitting slightly.

Qian Renxue hurried to his side and lowered her voice, speaking urgently:

"Outside... everyone is spreading rumors that you're an evil soul master!"

"They're saying your soul rings surpassed their limits only because you used some shameful, evil methods!"

"What? I've become an evil soul master?"

Jiang Yu's face instantly darkened.

No one understood better than Jiang Yu what the words "evil soul master" meant.

They were the public enemy of the entire soul master world, people everyone had the right to kill.

Once branded an evil soul master, one would stand against all righteous soul masters and face their endless pursuit.

"Who started it?" Jiang Yu asked coldly.

"The exact source isn't clear."

"But the news first spread from Soto City."

Qian Renxue could not help saying.

Qian Renxue cared greatly about Jiang Yu, her friend.

Therefore, after hearing the rumor that Jiang Yu was an evil soul master, Qian Renxue immediately began investigating.

In the end, she traced the source back to Soto City.

"Soto City..."

Hearing that name, Jiang Yu smiled faintly.

If Jiang Yu remembered correctly, Shrek Academy was near Soto City.

And Yu Xiaogang's brother, Flender, was the headmaster of Shrek Academy.

That made it very obvious who had spread this information.

So it was that trash Yu Xiaogang.

Unable to win head-on, he could only use such despicable methods to stab him in the back.

It was indeed a vicious move.

As long as suspicion of him being an evil soul master was stirred up, true or false, Spirit Hall would have the most legitimate reason to openly send people to "investigate" him, or even "arrest" him.

Hearing this, Dugu Yan also stopped cultivating and walked over, her pretty face filled with anger.

"This is outright slander!"

"I've cultivated with Jiang Yu for so long. How has there ever been the slightest sign of any evil or crooked path?"

Dugu Yan was also indignant on Jiang Yu's behalf.

"Brother Xue, Yan."

"I'm leaving for a while."

Jiang Yu said.

Now that Jiang Yu's soul power had reached Rank 40, it was time to obtain his fourth soul ring.

And hadn't someone claimed he was an evil soul master?

Then he would let them see the consequences of framing him.

Qian Renxue immediately understood. "Do you need my help?"

Dugu Yan hurriedly offered, "I can ask my grandfather for help! My grandfather is a Title Douluo. If he steps in..."

"No need. I can handle it myself!"

Jiang Yu directly cut them off.

There was no need to call for reinforcements over such a minor inconvenience.

A week later, on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Jiang Yu sped through the forest, searching for his target.

Jiang Yu's third soul ring had already been at the ten-thousand-year level, so naturally, he would choose his fourth soul ring from among ten-thousand-year soul beasts as well.

As for his target, Jiang Yu had long since settled on one.

A ten-thousand-year soul beast—the Vampire Demon Vine.

This was an exceptionally domineering plant-type soul beast, capable of forcibly absorbing an enemy's soul power and blood for its own use.

Jiang Yu's goal was to cultivate his Blue Silver Grass into a powerful ability like the "Wood Release" from his memories of his previous life—one that combined offense and defense and could transform in countless ways.

The Vampire Demon Vine's soul skill undoubtedly suited his path of development perfectly.

"According to the intelligence Qian Renxue provided, there should be a ten-thousand-year Vampire Demon Vine somewhere nearby..."

Jiang Yu searched through the dense forest while remaining alert to his surroundings.

Very soon, an enormous vine with a strange appearance entered his field of vision.

The vine was more than twenty-five meters long, its entire body an ominous dark red. Strange patterns covered its surface, resembling the blood vessels of a living creature.

Jiang Yu's eyes immediately lit up.

He had found it!

For Vampire Demon Vines, every ten meters represented ten thousand years of cultivation. This twenty-five-meter-long specimen was clearly a powerful twenty-five-thousand-year soul beast!

Just as Jiang Yu observed the Vampire Demon Vine, it seemed to notice him as well.

Without any warning, the thick vine lashed toward Jiang Yu like a giant blood-red python, tearing through the air!

Though it was a plant-type soul beast, the Vampire Demon Vine could actively hunt like an animal. It was incomparably vicious.

Jiang Yu tapped off the ground and drifted several meters backward with nimble grace, narrowly evading the lethal strike.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Yu instantly released his martial soul.

Yellow, purple, and black—three soul rings rose and revolved around him.

"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Binding!"

"Second Soul Skill, Diamond Body!"

In an instant, countless Blue Silver Grasses gleaming with metallic luster burst madly from the ground. Like chains of steel, they surged toward the blood-red vine.

After its second awakening, Jiang Yu's Blue Silver Grass had long evolved into the Blue Silver Emperor. Its toughness and strength were in no way inferior to the ten-thousand-year soul beast before him!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The Blue Silver Emperor and the Vampire Demon Vine crazily entwined, collided, and tore at each other, producing a series of dull impacts.

But Jiang Yu quickly realized that something was wrong.

The moment his Blue Silver Grass came into contact with the Vampire Demon Vine, a strange suction force came from the touching vines. The soul power within Jiang Yu's body was being forcibly drained away, at an astonishing rate!

"So this is the Vampire Demon Vine's ability!?"

"I have to end this quickly!..."

With that thought, Jiang Yu acted without hesitation. The instant he controlled the Blue Silver Grass to firmly bind the Vampire Demon Vine's main body, the black ten-thousand-year soul ring around him shone brilliantly.

"Third Soul Skill, Blue Silver Overlord Spear!"

Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass rapidly gathered, condensing into a pitch-black spear in his right hand, its tip gleaming with a chilling cold light.

Gripping the spear, Jiang Yu hurled it with all his strength!

The spear became a bolt of black lightning and struck with flawless precision at the Vampire Demon Vine's roots, deeply buried underground!

"Hiss—!"

The Vampire Demon Vine's enormous body twisted and thrashed violently. Moments later, it completely fell still and collapsed limply to the ground.

At the same time, a deep black soul ring slowly rose from its corpse.