Roar—
The tiger's roar rang out as the accompanying Soul Sage entered Martial Soul Possession. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black...
Seven Soul Rings circled him, and a pair of tiger wings spread behind his back.
This was his Martial Soul, the Flying Tiger. Though its quality was not top-tier, it had no obvious weaknesses. That was precisely why Qian Renxue had selected him from among several Soul Sages to hunt a Soul Ring for Ouyang Ling.
"Please don't make a move."
As soon as he spoke, two figures arrived from the direction the Fire Rat had fled from earlier, appearing before Ouyang Ling and the other man.
One was a brawny middle-aged man in his forties, with a hooked nose and a face resembling the sole of a shoe. A pair of square black-framed crystal glasses rested on his nose, giving him a shrewd air. The seven Soul Rings circling him also displayed his strength.
He was carrying a chubby little boy in one hand. The boy was not very old, with short red hair and an appearance that could hardly be called handsome.
But those distinctive traits...
These had to be Flander and Ma Hongjun.
Ouyang Ling narrowed his eyes without revealing anything on his face. He swiftly stepped back, placing the Flying Tiger Soul Sage in front of him.
It was always better to be cautious.
Still...
His gaze discreetly shifted toward the frozen Fire Rat.
This was likely their target—the first Soul Beast Ma Hongjun intended to hunt. Unfortunately, they had come at the wrong time.
Perhaps because the two Soul Sages were releasing their imposing auras, coupled with the Fire Rat being trapped between them and frozen in ice, the double pressure upon its body and mind was steadily worsening its condition.
Before long, this Fire Rat would be dead.
At the same time, the appearance of Flander and Ma Hongjun made the Flying Tiger Soul Sage tense. Compared to Soul Beasts, he was more concerned about encountering Soul Masters. Especially since the other man's seven Soul Rings were no joke, openly displaying their deterrent power.
Naturally, Flander harbored the same thoughts.
He, too, was wary of the dangers lurking in human hearts.
But when he saw their vigilance, the man's protective stance before the child, and their fine clothing—especially the Soul Tool hanging from the child's waist...
As an old hand in the world, Flander concluded that this was a guard from some powerful faction accompanying a young master to obtain a Soul Ring. That made him quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, those escorting a "young master" to obtain a Soul Ring would have more reservations and generally would not resort to violence. That meant there was room for negotiation.
But he would have to take the first step back.
Because any faction capable of making a Soul Sage willingly serve as a guard was absolutely not one he could afford to offend.
That was experience gained from years of hardship.
Besides...
Flander's sharp gaze swept over the frozen ice.
This master and servant did not need this Fire Rat.
So Flander deliberately eased his aura, softening his expression considerably. "The commotion just now may have disturbed you two. Please forgive us." As he spoke, the tension in the surroundings eased.
"What is it?"
The Flying Tiger Soul Sage glanced at Ma Hongjun beside Flander, then looked toward the frozen Fire Rat, immediately understanding what had happened.
Though he inwardly marveled that this chubby boy was a genius as well, his outward attitude remained unchanged. He even knowingly asked the question.
Flander also pretended not to care and introduced himself instead. "I am Flander. In recent years, I have taken in a disciple who happens to need a Soul Ring. This Fire Rat was our chosen target, but I never expected it to offend you two."
"Could you perhaps show some leniency? After all..."
His gaze swept over Ouyang Ling. Though he was secretly astonished that the boy had already reached level 20 at such an age, he continued aloud:
"This little brother has no use for it."
"So it is one of the Golden Iron Triangle."
The Flying Tiger Soul Sage's expression did not change.
He, too, had lived through that era, so he naturally knew of the enormous reputation the Golden Iron Triangle had once made in the Soul Master world.
But so what? Flander was only one corner of it.
Still, it was just a Fire Rat...
With the thought that avoiding trouble was preferable, and that safely bringing the young master back was what mattered most, the Flying Tiger Soul Sage felt there was no harm in agreeing.
He lowered his gaze, and only after obtaining Ouyang Ling's consent did he say, "Since the Flying Horn needs it, I might as well give you this favor."
"Then thank you very much."
Flander pretended not to notice that glance. Turning his head, he gave Ma Hongjun a look. "Brat, what are you waiting for?"
Ma Hongjun, who had remained silent until now, was overjoyed. He had been waiting for this moment for far too long and hurried over to the solid ice.
He took out a short blade and prepared to chip it apart. Clang—
After a crisp sound, it only left a white mark on the surface.
Ma Hongjun was immediately at a loss.
He could only turn a pleading look toward his teacher.
Flander suddenly wanted to smack his disciple hard on the head, but with outsiders present, he merely lowered his voice and reminded him.
"Use fire."
Ouyang Ling and the other man watched the entire matter coldly.
They did not help melt the ice, and Flander did not ask them to. Otherwise, if something went wrong midway through, who would be responsible?
"Oh, right—"
Ma Hongjun immediately let out a low shout. "Phoenix Possession."
At the word Phoenix, the Flying Tiger Soul Sage's heart tightened.
A beast Martial Soul like that was among the finest of Martial Souls! This chubby boy who looked like he had come from the countryside actually possessed such a Martial Soul!?
He instantly became serious.
A commoner genius like this had to be mentioned to the young master.
Flander, meanwhile, was even more annoyed.
But his anger was directed at both Ma Hongjun and himself. It was probably something like: Why did you shout out your Martial Soul, you brat!? Can't you see there are outsiders here?! Sigh—this is my fault too. I never taught him to keep a low profile.
Meanwhile,
Ouyang Ling's attention had also settled on Ma Hongjun.
He was rather curious about Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire.
A scorching heat rose into the air as purplish-red light surged from Ma Hongjun's body. Aside from his hair, only feathers grew from his arms, while his hands transformed into sharp claws. There were no other changes.
This temperature really was high.
Ouyang Ling observed and considered it carefully, discovering that the quality of Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire was roughly on par with the ice attribute within his own Martial Soul.
But its flaws were also obvious: the fire attribute was not pure.
Perhaps because he had spent so much time around Qian Renxue, he could clearly sense that the power contained within Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire conflicted with hers. Even more so, one faint trace of power within it felt deeply familiar to him.
What conflicted with the light attribute was darkness,
And what conflicted with holiness, and was familiar to Ouyang Ling...
Was evil!
Of course, this evil power was not an attribute, merely a quality of energy. That was the source of his Evil Fire's strong adhesion, as well as the reason he had to resolve it through relations between men and women.
If Qian Renxue—no!
It should be said that any Soul Master with a Martial Soul possessing light and holy qualities present would be able to distinguish the true nature of the Evil Fire's power.
As for why Ouyang Ling found it familiar...
It was because he had encountered it before.
At the same time, whoosh—
Ma Hongjun pressed both hands against the solid ice, allowing the Evil Fire wrapped around them to steadily melt it away.
But before the Fire Rat's body could be exposed,
Buzz—
A different fluctuation of soul power came from within, along with Ma Hongjun's shout. "Teacher! Look!"
Before you continue