Oscar absorbed the Soul Ring smoothly. In less than an hour, he obtained his third Soul Ring, along with the Flying Mushroom Sausage Soul Skill.
But just then, something happened that surprised everyone. Perhaps the long trek over the past several days had stimulated Tang San's Soul Power, for he actually broke through to level 30 at that moment too.
"Hahaha, the good news just keeps coming! Tang San, with this breakthrough, you should be the youngest Soul Elder in the academy, right?" Zhao Wuji said with a hearty laugh.
Tang San smiled and said, "No, my big brother broke through much earlier than I did. He reached level 30 two years ago."
Zhao Wuji slapped his forehead. "Right, I forgot about him! That brat-who would believe he was only level 30?"
"Anyway, in that case, let's keep looking for suitable Soul Rings in the Star Dou Great Forest," Zhao Wuji said. "One for you, Tang San, plus Qi Ling's. Two in total..."
"There's one more, Teacher Zhao," Qi Ling said then. "I just promised Meng Yiran that we would find her Soul Ring too."
Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow. "What? We have to find a Soul Ring for her too? Come on, Qi Ling, aren't you being far too much of a do-gooder?"
"Exactly!" Xiao Wu chimed in from the side. "Brother Qi, you won through your own strength! You don't owe her anything!"
"Who says he doesn't owe me anything?" Meng Yiran looked at the Shrek group and lifted her nose. "He kidnapped me! After doing something so outrageous to me, of course he has to take proper responsibility for me!"
"Responsibility?!" This time, not only did Xiao Wu shriek, but even Ning Rongrong could not help speaking up.
Seeing everyone looking at her, Ning Rongrong blushed, but continued, "W-what responsibility? At worst, we'll just let you go!"
"It's not that simple!" Meng Yiran said smugly. "This fellow held me in his arms the whole way here and took plenty of liberties with me! You say you'll let me go, but now I don't intend to leave."
"Argh, this is infuriating! Brother Qi, your taste is awful!" Xiao Wu protested. "If you want to take liberties with someone, you can come to me! Why go to this snake woman?"
"Exactly, Qi Ling, you..." Ning Rongrong blushed. "Am I really not as good as her?"
"You two, stop making trouble! I didn't do anything!" Qi Ling said, wanting to cry but finding no tears. "Miss Meng, you win. I'll let you go, all right?"
"Now you remember to let me go? Too late! Qi Ling, I'm telling you, you've landed yourself in trouble!" Meng Yiran seemed delighted to see Qi Ling so thoroughly thwarted.
You little punk, you dared mess with me? Don't you know how terrifying a woman can be when she's angry? Meng Yiran thought smugly.
Watching from the side, Oscar and Ma Hongjun were so envious they were nearly in tears.
"Alas! Those in drought die of drought, while those in floods drown!" Ma Hongjun sighed. "Heavens above, when will my spring finally come?"
Oscar patted Ma Hongjun on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Fatty. You've still got me keeping you company!"
"Oh, no, I mean you've still got me, Boss Dai, Xiao San-all of us keeping you company!"
Left with no choice, Qi Ling agreed to find Meng Yiran's Soul Ring first, but Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong strongly opposed letting him continue guarding her.
Qi Ling could not rest easy leaving her in someone else's custody. Meng Yiran might seem cooperative now, but if she escaped, it would be too late for him and the others to cry.
So Qi Ling took out the divine artifact he had just obtained: the Immortal-Binding Rope. Although this divine artifact was incomplete, its effects were still extremely useful!
It could restrain anyone below the Soul Ancestor rank. If she left the host's side or harbored ill intentions, it could immediately render her entire body immobile, leaving her unable even to speak.
Seeing Qi Ling take out a coil of rope, Meng Yiran was not nervous at all. Instead, she smiled. "What, taking liberties with me earlier wasn't enough, and now you want to tie me up too? Qi Ling, you're so naughty!"
"Brother Qi!" "Qi Ling!" Xiao Wu's and Ning Rongrong's voices rang out again.
Helpless, Qi Ling explained once more that the Immortal-Binding Rope was not an ordinary rope, but a Soul Tool with special effects!
Moreover, after it was tied around someone, it would not physically restrict them at all. Instead, it would vanish, only becoming visible when its effect activated.
However, while Qi Ling was tying Meng Yiran up, the girl kept making noises that sent people's imaginations wandering, provoking another round of displeasure from Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong.
Once they finally got everything sorted out, the group resumed their search for Soul Rings. This time, Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong were like two little shadows, constantly trailing behind Qi Ling and Meng Yiran.
Meng Yiran seemed to enjoy seeing Qi Ling thwarted, so she kept creating opportunities to press herself against him! For some reason, seeing Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong angry and jealous actually made her feel very happy.
After searching for half an hour, the group had found nothing. After all, encountering a suitable Soul Beast depended on luck. If heaven refused to give you one, there was nothing you could do.
Just then, Ma Hongjun, who was walking ahead, suddenly cried out in alarm. Zhao Wuji immediately went over and asked, "What's wrong, Fatty? What did you find?"
"N-nothing." Ma Hongjun clutched his hand. "I think a centipede just bit me. It hurts a little!"
Hearing that it was only a centipede, everyone relaxed. Only Qi Ling and Tang San frowned. This was the Star Dou Great Forest-even a centipede could not be underestimated!
The two immediately went to Ma Hongjun's side and began examining his wound. At the sight of it, their brows furrowed even more deeply.
"What's wrong? Xiao San, Boss Qi, did you find something? Don't scare me!" Seeing their grave expressions, Ma Hongjun swallowed and asked apprehensively.
"This wasn't an ordinary centipede. It was a centipede Soul Beast called the Black Sickle!" Qi Ling said seriously. "More importantly, this kind of centipede is venomous!"
"What? Venomous?" Ma Hongjun jumped in fright. "How potent is its venom? Am I going to die?"
"You won't die," Qi Ling said.
But before Ma Hongjun could breathe a sigh of relief, Qi Ling continued, "It's just that if the venom isn't neutralized within twelve hours, your manhood will start rotting and then fall off!"
At this news, Ma Hongjun's entire mind froze for three seconds. Then he immediately began wailing to heaven and earth. "Boss Qi! You have to save me! I can't live without that thing!"
"Don't worry. Although this centipede's venom is potent, it's very easy to neutralize!" Qi Ling said. "Once we reach town, we just need to get a few doses of medicine, and the venom can be neutralized right away."
Zhao Wuji scratched his head. "Alas, there's no helping it. Looks like we'll have to make a trip back to the town outside! You damned fatty, couldn't you be more careful..."
"Roar-" Just as they were discussing returning to town, a long, resonant dragon's cry suddenly came from the distance, interrupting their thoughts.