The Tiger in Their Path

Meng Shu watched Dugu Bo and his party disappear into the distance, then turned to his wife and granddaughter. "Brother Ye and that young friend both offered suggestions. What do you two think?"

Meng Shu knew a fair bit about his family's inherited Dragon Staff Martial Soul, but he knew far less about the Serpent Cane Martial Soul wielded by Chao Tianxiang and their granddaughter.

Before him, no one in the family had ever married a Soul Master with a Serpent Cane Martial Soul, so naturally, no one had made a point of studying which Soul Rings suited it.

Chao Tianxiang nodded slightly, approval in her eyes. "Their suggestions are well reasoned. They're far more reliable than the haphazard choices we were considering before. We can certainly try following that path."

Beside her, Meng Yiran nodded repeatedly, grateful for the advice.

Thinking back, she realized that without Lu Xuan's careful guidance, she would most likely have picked an ordinary century-old snake Soul Beast and hastily absorbed it as her First Soul Ring.

Until now, she had been utterly lost about how to cultivate her Martial Soul. She had stumbled about without any clear direction.

But with Lu Xuan's precise recommendations and plan, she finally had a clear goal. The road ahead suddenly looked much brighter.

"Then that's what we'll try!" Seeing that his wife and granddaughter agreed, Meng Shu made the decision. A thoughtful look crossed his eyes. "This might even prove to be an opportunity for us."

Their brief encounter had been enough for him to sense that Dugu Xin was no weaker than he was. Remembering what Dugu Bo had quietly told him before they parted, he thought that marrying his younger daughter to Dugu Xin would indeed be an excellent match.

After the two groups parted, everyone resumed their search for Soul Beasts.

As they traveled, Dugu Bo sent his son a private message, asking what he thought about the proposed match.

In fact, two years earlier, Dugu Bo, Ye Renxin, Dugu Xin, and Zhao Yan had privately discussed arranging marriages among the younger generation.

With Lu Xuan's extraordinary talent and strong foundation, Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan were bound to fall for him. In time, they would become part of the Lu Family.

Lu Xuan possessed the Divine Black Jade Bamboo Flute, an exceptional tool Martial Soul. Any children Dugu Yan or Ye Lingling had with him would be highly unlikely to awaken the Dugu family's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul or the Ye Family's Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul.

Neither girl could be counted on to carry on her family's Martial Soul inheritance.

Since they could not rely on the two of them to continue their family lines and pass down their Martial Souls, the elders had turned to their other children for marriage alliances, hoping to bring their families new opportunities.

Previously, Dugu Xin had devoted himself to looking after Lu Xuan and had never had the chance to consider remarriage. Meanwhile, Ye Qingxian's Martial Soul injury had left her frail, making it difficult for her to bear children for years.

But Ye Qingxian's old ailment had now been cured. Her body had recovered, and she could have children at any time.

By that reckoning, it really was time for Dugu Xin to consider his future.

"I think it could work." Dugu Xin had no objection to remarrying.

But he had standards of his own and quickly added, "Dad, I won't accept anyone too old or unattractive."

"Don't worry!" Dugu Bo laughed. "If she's truly that hard to look at, she won't get past me, either."

As they traveled, father and son quietly settled the matter of Dugu Xin's remarriage and began making plans.

Meanwhile, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, walking close beside Lu Xuan, had already dropped their earlier jealous rivalry. That little bit of awkwardness and displeasure had vanished.

The three walked shoulder to shoulder, chatting and laughing along the way. The mood was easy and cheerful, as though the earlier incident had never happened.

"Brother Lu Xuan." Ye Lingling looked up at him and blinked her bright eyes. "What do you think I should choose for my Fourth Soul Ring?"

She had already decided on a five-thousand-year Nine Heart Begonia for her Third Soul Ring. What mattered now was settling on a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for her fourth.

Lu Xuan had told her and Dugu Yan as much before.

Thanks to the cleansing effects of the Immortal Herbs, their foundations far surpassed those of ordinary Soul Masters. Just as they had been able to withstand thousand-year Second Soul Rings, they could confidently attempt Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings when they broke through to Soul Ancestor.

Lu Xuan said, "Didn't we already discuss this? We'll choose whichever suitable Soul Beast we find, as long as it has strong vitality!"

Ye Lingling gently tugged at Lu Xuan's sleeve, her eyes drooping and her voice soft and aggrieved. "Oh, Brother Lu Xuan, tell me properly~ You gave Miss Meng so many Soul Beast suggestions at once, but when it comes to me, you suddenly get vague."

She lowered her head slightly, her voice drifting over to him. "Sigh. The new favorite always replaces the old one."

"Ah..." A tingle ran through Lu Xuan. He simply couldn't resist Ye Lingling's soft tone, so he sighed helplessly and repeated the Soul Beast options they had already discussed.

Ye Lingling knew them perfectly well. She had no need to hear them again.

But she cherished moments like this. Watching Lu Xuan give in to her, she hid a trace of delight in her eyes.

The others could only shake their heads. Ye Lingling seemed to have found a way to get Lu Xuan to do as she pleased.

Only Ye Qingxian knew that Lu Xuan was simply playing along with her daughter.

"There's a Soul Beast ahead, and it's no weakling!"

Dugu Bo's grave warning came at that moment. "Stay alert. Prepare to fight!"

Before he had finished speaking, Zhao Yan and Dugu Xin activated their Soul Power almost simultaneously. Their Martial Souls appeared in an instant, and they readied themselves for battle.

Soon, a huge black shape emerged slowly from the trees. A massive, powerfully built black tiger came into view.

The giant tiger was jet-black from head to tail, without a single patch of another color in its fur. Its crimson slit pupils glowed faintly, radiating a bone-chilling menace.

It was over eight meters long, with bulging muscles that held explosive strength. The character for "king" on its forehead was black as well, but unlike the deep black of its fur, it looked like dark ink swirling through shadowy mist. It was an unsettling sight.

Most striking of all was its tail.

Far longer than that of an ordinary tiger Soul Beast, it rose high behind it, formed from a chain of jagged bony segments. A huge hooked barb tipped the tail, its edge gleaming coldly with a deadly threat.

But the black tiger merely swept a cold glance over the group. Then it turned its massive body, retreated into the depths of the forest, and left.

"The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!"

Lu Xuan's gaze sharpened. He recognized the Soul Beast at once.

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was as powerful as, if not stronger than, an ordinary Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. He had never expected to encounter one here.