"You little brat! Do you think the Dragon Duke can't recognize a soul beast's age? Get back here."
Seeing Su Ling act so rashly, Flender immediately scolded him loudly.
He was actually protecting Su Ling by saying that. After all, the other man was a Soul Douluo, and Snake Granny was no easy opponent either. Only if the Golden Iron Triangle gathered would they have a fighting chance.
Meng Shu felt a flicker of anger at a junior daring to question him.
Still, in the Star Dou Great Forest, he knew this was no time to come to blows.
After all, there were two long-established Soul Saints on the other side, and his granddaughter still needed to absorb a soul ring. But just as he was about to let the matter go, Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang beside him seemed to notice something.
"No, no. Take another careful look. It seems we misjudged it," Snake Granny suddenly said.
"What is it?"
Meng Shu also approached the dying Man Faced Demon Spider and examined it carefully. "It really is over two thousand years old."
"Yiran, you can't absorb this soul beast's ring."
Realizing he had been mistaken, Meng Shu found it hard to save face.
"Damn it! I nearly harmed Yiran."
With anger pent up inside him, Meng Shu struck the Man Faced Demon Spider with his Serpent Cane, actually knocking its soul ring straight out of it.
Tang San was so anxious he wanted to curse. He had been about to say he could try absorbing this soul ring.
But now that Meng Shu had killed it, he could no longer absorb its soul ring.
"Sorry, I lost control and killed this Man Faced Demon Spider. I imagine you have no use for it either," Meng Shu said.
Su Ling had considered ruining Tang San's chance at obtaining his external soul bone, but he had never expected Meng Shu to do it for him.
Then wouldn't his external soul bone, the Eight Spider Lances, be gone?
"Young man, what's your name? I offended you earlier. Thank you for the warning. Otherwise, I would have made a terrible mistake. I, Meng Shu, owe you a favor. If you ever need us, feel free to come find us," Meng Shu said.
A favor from these two was comparable to one from an ordinary Titled Douluo.
Su Ling smiled. "My name is Su Ling. I merely happened to notice it, and I couldn't bear to see your granddaughter hurt because of it."
"Yiran, hurry and thank this young man," Meng Shu said.
Only then did Meng Yiran begin to take a careful look at Su Ling.
Until she looked, she had no idea. Once she did, she felt as though she regretted not meeting him sooner. Su Ling was the most handsome man she had ever seen.
[Ding... Meng Yiran's affection +20, White Chest*8, Yellow Chest*3]
"Thank you, Big Brother Su. My name is Meng Yiran. Just call me Yiran."
Su Ling looked a little older than her, so she addressed him that way without hesitation.
"It's a small matter, no thanks needed," Su Ling said. "Miss Yiran, I see your martial soul is a Serpent Cane. This Man Faced Demon Spider might not be particularly suitable for you anyway."
"In that direction, there should be a canyon about a hundred kilometers away. Phoenix-tail Crested Serpents have appeared there before. If you need one, you could try looking there."
"All right. Thank you, Big Brother Su." The more Meng Yiran looked at Su Ling, the more pleasing she found him.
[Ding... Meng Yiran's affection +15, White Chest*7, Yellow Chest*2, Purple Chest*1]
A Purple Chest had actually appeared, and it was not over yet.
The system was still issuing notifications.
[Ding... Meng Yiran's affection +3, White Chest*2]
In this brief span, Meng Yiran's affection had already reached 40 points.
Was it really this easy to raise?
Thinking back to the novel's plot, hadn't Tang San also made Meng Yiran like him so quickly that she kissed him outright?
Tang San had defeated Meng Yiran head-on and taught her something, though, so his circumstances were different from Su Ling's current situation.
"Su Ling, how old are you this year? Are you also here to find your third soul ring?" Snake Granny seemed to notice the change in Meng Yiran and took the initiative to ask.
If he was young and talented, they would not stand in the way should the two truly begin a relationship someday.
But if his talent was poor and he was older-if, for instance, his soul power was only at level thirty at this age-then there was no point.
"I'm nineteen this year," Su Ling said. "I came here to find my fourth soul ring."
"Nineteen, and level forty?"
Both Meng Shu and Snake Granny were quite surprised. In this era, those who could become Soul Ancestors before twenty were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
Across the entire Heaven Dou Empire or Star Luo Empire, someone with this level of soul power would be an unquestioned mainstay at any academy.
"Excellent. Young and accomplished. Very good."
"This is our Dragon Snake Token. The favor I mentioned earlier will always stand. Come find us whenever you need it," Meng Shu added.
Earlier, he might have merely been offering polite words, but this time, he truly acknowledged that he owed Su Ling a favor.
[Ding... Meng Yiran's affection +5, obtained White Chest*3]
Her affection had increased again. Meng Yiran really was far too easy to win over.
"Su Ling, hurry and thank Senior Dragon Duke." Seeing Su Ling hesitate briefly, Flender hurried to remind him. A favor from a Soul Douluo was worth quite a lot.
"Then I thank you both, seniors." With that, Su Ling accepted the Dragon Snake Token without further ceremony.
"Good. In that case, we'll continue searching for a soul ring for Yiran. Let us bid farewell here," Meng Shu said, preparing to leave with Snake Granny and Meng Yiran.
But after taking only a few steps, Meng Yiran turned back to look at Su Ling again.
"Big Brother Su, make sure you come find me when you have time," Meng Yiran said.
Su Ling smiled and nodded, replying politely, "Of course!"
[Ding... Meng Yiran's affection +2, obtained White Chest*1]
The three left just like that. Ning Rongrong hurried to Su Ling's side and said, "Big Brother Su, I think Meng Yiran has fallen for you."
Su Ling turned back. "Surely not? We only just met and exchanged a few words. It shouldn't have gone that far."
"Who knows?" Ning Rongrong said, pursing her lips.
"Huh? Dean, come take a look. There seems to be something on this Man Faced Demon Spider," Tang San suddenly said.
He was beside the Man Faced Demon Spider and seemed to have discovered something on its corpse.
As he spoke, Tang San pulled out something resembling a Spider Spear.
"Is that... a soul bone?"
"No, this isn't an ordinary soul bone. It's very likely an external soul bone," Flender said in surprise.
At that, a trace of regret appeared on Flender's face.
"If it really is an external soul bone, then it's useless now. I remember that an external soul bone can only be absorbed after absorbing that soul beast's soul ring. An external soul bone that can't be absorbed is of no use."
"Still, your teacher might have another way."
Flender suddenly thought of Grandmaster, who had researched martial souls.
"All right. I'll put it away for now and ask my teacher," Tang San said, immediately storing it away. He could not help feeling some resentment toward Meng Shu.
If you didn't need it, you shouldn't have killed it just like that! You even ruined my opportunity. Wasn't this the kind of grudge born from obstructing someone's path?
The course of the plot really had corrected itself. Tang San had still obtained the external soul bone, the Eight Spider Lances.
However, Tang San might not be able to use these Eight Spider Lances.
If he could not use them, they were as good as useless.
After Tang San put away the soul bone, Flender continued, "Everyone, pack up. We're moving somewhere else tonight. The scent of the Man Faced Demon Spider's blood might attract other soul beasts. This place is no longer safe."
Before you continue