First Meeting with Meng Yiran

Several days later, Jiang Lin and the others stepped out of their simply constructed wooden cabin.

Feeling the gentle sunlight on his body, Jiang Lin could not help narrowing his eyes, a hint of enjoyment appearing on his face.

Just then, Little Dragon Girl walked over to Jiang Lin's side and spoke softly.

"Jiang Lin, Xiao Wu's soul power should have reached level 10 long ago, right? Since you're going to obtain your second Soul Ring today, why not help Xiao Wu obtain one as well?"

"Huh?"

Jiang Lin froze, an odd expression appearing on his face.

"Help Xiao Wu obtain a Soul Ring? What kind of joke is that?"

"Her true form is a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. How could she possibly absorb the Soul Ring of her own kind?"

At the same time, upon hearing Little Dragon Girl's suggestion, Xiao Wu's expression turned nervous as well. She hurriedly stepped forward and took over the conversation.

"Sister Long, there's no need. My physique is special. Like you, I can't absorb Soul Rings either. But aside from that, my soul power can still grow normally without being affected..."

The moment those words were spoken, surprise appeared in both Little Dragon Girl's and Tian Yan's eyes, and they looked at Jiang Lin in unison.

Jiang Lin naturally understood what they meant. They thought Xiao Wu had come from another world as well. In response, Jiang Lin merely shook his head, denying the speculation.

Seeing everyone fall silent, worry immediately appeared in Xiao Wu's eyes. Fortunately, Jiang Lin finally stepped forward.

"Mm, perhaps Xiao Wu's physique is particularly special. There should be quite a few people like her in this world."

Hearing this, Little Dragon Girl and Tian Yan finally withdrew their gazes. After secretly glancing at Jiang Lin, Xiao Wu also let out a breath of relief.

"Alright, let's set off. This time, we're looking for a Windfeather Falcon around two thousand years old. This soul beast is incredibly fast and a flying creature. Even several Soul Venerables working together would likely need to deal with it carefully."

"Mm, Jiang Lin, do you need me to make a move this time?"

"Sister Long, I really will have to trouble you this time. Although my first soul skill is extremely powerful, its consumption is terrifying. And the Windfeather Falcon is so fast that it can easily dodge..."

This time, Jiang Lin did not refuse Little Dragon Girl's offer.

The reason he had chosen a soul beast like the Windfeather Falcon was to enhance the boost King's Power Sword gave to his reaction speed and to obtain a flight-type soul skill. That would make both traveling and fighting much more convenient.

By the afternoon, Jiang Lin and the others arrived in a damp woodland.

Perhaps Jiang Lin's luck was poor. After searching all morning, they had not found the slightest trace of a Windfeather Falcon. Left with no choice, Jiang Lin decided to use bait to lure one out.

For birds of prey like these, the best food was snake-type soul beasts containing abundant soul power. That was also why Jiang Lin had come to this damp woodland.

There was no need for Little Dragon Girl and the others to help with something as simple as catching snakes. In only about half an hour, Jiang Lin had caught more than a dozen Black-Scaled Vipers around two to three hundred years old.

Just as he was about to head deeper in hopes of catching some older Black-Scaled Vipers, a black shadow suddenly shot out from the bushes beside him. It bared its pitch-black fangs and bit toward Jiang Lin's arm!

Jiang Lin's expression remained unchanged. Pure Yang Flame immediately appeared in his hand, transforming into a giant hand that seized the black shadow by the head.

"Oh? A seven-hundred-year Black-Scaled Viper. Hm, something seems off. This Black-Scaled Viper actually has a small horn growing from its head. Could it have mutated?"

"If that's the case, I'll be even more certain of luring out that Windfeather Falcon!"

A trace of delight immediately appeared on Jiang Lin's face, and he was just about to knock the Black-Scaled Viper unconscious and stuff it into the sack on his back.

However, before he could act, a clear yet haughty young woman's voice rang out from afar.

"Kid, don't move! That mutated Black-Scaled Viper is mine!"

As the words fell, a girl with short blue-gray hair, watery blue eyes, pale skin, and a dark green fitted outfit rushed over from the distance. She held a short snake-shaped staff in her hand.

"You say it's yours, so it's yours?"

Jiang Lin paid no attention whatsoever to the girl's words and directly knocked the Black-Scaled Viper in his hand unconscious.

"Y-You! How dare you? I already said that Black-Scaled Viper was mine!"

Seeing this, anger immediately appeared on the girl's face. She fiercely swung the short snake-shaped staff in her hand toward Jiang Lin in the distance.

"First Soul Skill, Snake Blade!"

In the next instant, several snake-shaped blades of energy glowing green detached from the Snake Staff Martial Soul and slashed directly toward Jiang Lin.

"Just this much?"

Feeling the energy blades that posed not the slightest threat, Jiang Lin revealed a disdainful expression. Pure Yang Flame instantly split off from his hand and formed a fire snake, sweeping toward the energy blades.

"Boom—"

Without the slightest surprise, the fire snake scattered the several energy blades. Not only that, its power did not diminish in the slightest as it lunged toward the girl with its jaws open.

"Ah!"

"How could this be? You're so young, yet you're this strong!"

Shock immediately appeared in the girl's eyes, and she hurriedly tried to dodge.

However, Jiang Lin's current strength was no longer what it used to be. The power and agility of his Pure Yang Flame had grown stronger as well. No matter how the girl dodged, the fire snake remained tightly on her trail. Within moments, sweat covered her forehead, and her speed could not help slowing.

As a result, the fire snake instantly closed the distance. It was about to fall directly upon the girl.

"Ah, no! Grandma, save me!"

Feeling the terrifying fire snake drawing closer, the girl hurriedly covered her little face and cried out in alarm.

"Hmm? There's someone else?"

Jiang Lin immediately furrowed his brow. Just as he was about to withdraw the fire snake, a Snake Blade several times larger and more solid than the previous energy blades shot out from the distant forest. Without any effort at all, it sliced apart the fire snake before the girl.

"Yiran, don't be afraid. Grandma is here."

A kind voice sounded from afar. Then, an elderly woman with a head full of silver hair but a rosy complexion and vigorous spirit walked out from the distance, holding a snake-headed staff.

"Grandma, this kid dared to steal my Black-Scaled Viper! You have to teach him a good lesson!"

"Don't worry, Yiran. Grandma will help you vent this anger."

Since neither of them concealed their conversation, Jiang Lin heard a crucial name as well.

Yiran? Snake Staff Martial Soul? Could this little girl be Meng Yiran? And since that old woman is Meng Yiran's grandmother, she must be Chao Tianxiang, one half of the Unrivaled Dragon Serpent couple!

According to the anime's plot, when Chao Tianxiang appeared six years later, she should have been a six-ring Soul Emperor, while Meng Yiran's grandfather, Meng Shu, was an eight-ring Soul Douluo.

At present, Chao Tianxiang should probably be at least a level 58 Soul King or a level 62 Soul Emperor, while Meng Shu must be at the peak of Soul Saint or even a Soul Douluo.

And right now, only Tian Yan beside me has combat power approaching that of a Soul Emperor. Little Dragon Girl is probably at most at the peak of Soul Ancestor...

Ah, if I'd known, I would have just let her have that Black-Scaled Viper. This is going to be troublesome.