An Encounter with the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny

The group had barely entered the forest when Lu Xuan took out the Divine Black Jade Bamboo Flute and raised it to his lips. A gentle melody drifted through the trees.

The boost from Lu Xuan's music was almost imperceptible to Dugu Bo and the others, whose cultivation was so advanced. It did little for them.

But for Ye Qingxian, a Quasi-Soul Sage, the benefit was considerable.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, the weakest of the group, gained the most. Their combat strength nearly doubled!

Ye Lingling clenched her small fists, her eyes bright with delight. "I feel like I'm physically stronger than a lot of assault-type Soul Elders now!"

Seeing how pleased she looked, Lu Xuan could not resist tempering her excitement. "That's just raw physical strength. Don't get too proud. Proper assault-type Soul Elders have soul skills that greatly increase their fighting power. You still lack an effective way to attack, so you'd be at a disadvantage in a real fight."

Ye Lingling was not discouraged in the slightest. She lifted her chin, her eyes full of certainty. "I'm not worried! I'm still waiting for you to teach me your family's soul skills, Brother Lu Xuan. Once I learn them, I won't lack attacks anymore."

As for his saying they were passed down to daughters-in-law—wasn't that bound to happen sooner or later?

If she could learn them, wouldn't that mean he had agreed in his own way?

"Someone's ahead!" Dugu Bo suddenly warned as they moved through the forest. "You three, conceal your auras."

Lu Xuan glanced at Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan, signaling them to settle down. The two girls understood at once. They drew in their Soul Power and stood quietly to one side.

Before long, another party emerged from the trees ahead. They, too, had come to hunt Soul Beasts for soul rings: two elderly people and a little girl slightly younger than Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan.

"Chao Tianxiang? Meng Shu?" Dugu Bo looked surprised when he recognized them. "So it's you."

"Brother Dugu? Brother Ye?" Meng Shu was equally taken aback to see Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin.

He had a faint sense that Dugu Bo had already taken that final step. As for Ye Renxin beside him, his Soul Power seemed to have surpassed Meng Shu's as well.

All of them were Soul Douluo-level experts of roughly the same age. They seldom crossed paths and were not close, but the circle of top soul masters on the continent was only so large. They knew one another.

As it happened, Dugu Bo and Chao Tianxiang were even distantly related.

Dugu Bo's late wife had been Chao Tianxiang's cousin.

But that bond had faded with his wife's death. The two families had cut off contact afterward and had nothing more to do with each other.

Though they had barely interacted in years, that old family tie remained. Their meeting was cordial enough; they had no reason to treat each other like strangers.

"I brought the children to look for soul rings." Dugu Bo gestured toward his group. "Are you here to hunt Soul Beasts for rings too?"

"That's right," Meng Shu replied with a nod. "My wife needs her sixth soul ring, and our granddaughter is ready for her First Soul Ring, so we came together."

Dugu Bo understood.

Chao Tianxiang's talent had always been ordinary. Only at her age was she finally attempting to obtain a sixth soul ring.

At this rate, she would likely never reach the Soul Sage realm in her lifetime.

The little girl beside her, though, looked about seven. Judging by her foundation alone, her talent was much like his granddaughter's.

But Dugu Yan had already taken an Immortal Herb and undergone a complete transformation. The gap between the two girls had been decided from that moment on.

Dugu Bo was not close enough to this family to give them an Immortal Herb to refine their foundations and improve their talent.

Still, they were relatives of a sort. If they needed help, he intended to offer some sound advice on choosing soul rings.

He turned to Chao Tianxiang. "Have you decided what soul rings you and the little girl want?"

Chao Tianxiang was mildly surprised. She had never expected Dugu Bo to address her so warmly. She had thought the last tie between their families had vanished with her cousin's death.

Sensing that he meant to be friendly, she softened her manner and took the chance to strengthen their connection.

"Brother Dugu," she said, "we haven't settled on targets for either of our rings. Could you offer us some advice?"

"My advice alone isn't worth much when Brother Ye is here." Dugu Bo turned slightly, directing Meng Shu and his wife's attention to Ye Renxin. "If you trust us, tell us about your martial souls and what you want from your soul skills. Brother Ye has seen a great deal. He may have some suitable suggestions."

"All right."

Chao Tianxiang nodded without hesitation. Soul Power stirred, and an ancient staff wound with snake patterns slowly appeared in her hand: her innate martial soul, the Serpent Cane.

"My martial soul is the Serpent Cane," she explained earnestly. "My first five soul skills are Snake Tongue Stab, Golden Snake Combo, Black Snake Bind, Serpent Shield, and Black Snake Frenzy. For my sixth ring, I want an assault-type soul skill!"

She went on to describe the Soul Beast and focus of each skill, laying out the origins of her first five rings, the weaknesses in her attributes, and how she currently fought.

She and Meng Shu had only settled on a broad direction. They wanted an assault-type Soul Beast around fifteen thousand years old to make up for her lack of offensive power, but had yet to choose a species or determine what sort of skill would suit her best.

Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin were among the continent's most experienced experts. Both understood how to match a soul master with a Soul Beast.

Their guidance was the best help she could hope for. It could spare her from choosing the wrong ring and damaging her foundation.

"Xiao Xuan."

While Chao Tianxiang was still describing her martial soul and soul skills, Dugu Bo privately transmitted his voice to Lu Xuan. Only the two of them could hear it. "Help consider suitable rings for Chao Tianxiang and the girl. Chao Tianxiang has a younger daughter in her early twenties, and a niece on her side of the family. I want to test the waters and see whether I can find your Uncle Dugu a second wife."

Lu Xuan understood at once.

He had been wondering why Dugu Bo had suddenly become so warm toward the couple. So all this conversation and advice was for Dugu Xin's sake.

Dugu Xin had reached level eighty, the threshold of Soul Douluo, in his early thirties. It was almost certain that he would one day become a Titled Douluo.

With talent like his, even a direct descendant of the Upper Three Sects would not be beyond his standing as a prospective wife.

But the Dugu family knew there was no need to become too entangled with the Upper Three Sects, so such women were out of consideration.

Chao Tianxiang's family, with its old connection to theirs, made a far more suitable possibility!