Chapter 131: A Terrified Flender, Helpless Against Tang San
[Little Witch]: Emerald Eight Spider Lances… that name sounds amazing. Ah Qing, take a picture and show us later. It must look really cool!
Ning Rongrong had the least resistance to things that were both beautiful and powerful.
[Dad Douluo]: I'll show you later. Now isn't a good time.
[Little Witch]: By the way, did Ah Qing obtain his fourth soul ring?
Of course, Ning Rongrong already knew that Lin Qingmo had obtained his fourth soul ring and that it was the thirty-thousand-year one.
But she still wanted to know exactly what the soul ring was and what the fourth soul skill was.
Her curiosity was simply overwhelming.
Zhu Zhuqing was just as curious.
[Dad Douluo]: Yeah, I got it along the way. Being able to safely absorb a thirty-thousand-year soul ring this time was thanks to my master's arrival to guard the process. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy.
He was sincerely grateful.
At the time, everything had seemed smooth, but only with Bibi Dong overseeing things did he truly feel secure.
Xiao Wu looked at the chat record, her eyes flickering.
[A Rogue Rabbit]: Ah Qing's master…
Her expression dimmed.
Everything that happened back then surfaced again in her mind, along with the helpless feeling of watching Ah Qing being harmed.
But… she couldn't tell Ah Qing.
Meanwhile, Liu Erlong's curiosity was sparked again.
[Tyrant Dragon Mom]: A thirty-thousand-year soul ring! Ah Qing, hurry up and tell us. What kind of soul beast did you kill? Don't tell me it's another immortal herb soul ring?
Lin Qingmo smiled. He had been waiting for someone to ask.
[Dad Douluo]: Unfortunately, it's not an immortal herb soul ring, but I personally think its quality surpasses that of an immortal herb.
[Big-Chested Kitty]: Surpasses an immortal herb?
[Dad Douluo]: That's right. It's called the Thunder Hell Prison Vine, an extremely rare plant-type soul beast.
[Tyrant Dragon Mom]: Thunder… what vine? Never heard of it.
[Little Witch]: +1! The name sounds cool, but I've never heard of it either. Ah Qing, explain!
Lin Qingmo organized his thoughts and began explaining.
[Dad Douluo]: Looks like none of you read Douluo III.
That didn't surprise him.
If it weren't for a few coincidences, he wouldn't have read Douluo III or IV either.
To be honest, he already had trouble finishing Douluo II back then, especially with Tang San's antics like the Qiankun Wenqing Valley.
The chat group members had complained about it many times. When they later learned the protagonist of Douluo III was Tang San's son, they all ran away immediately.
[Dad Douluo]: Anyway, the Thunder Hell Prison Vine is a soul beast that appears in Legend of the Dragon King.
[Dad Douluo]: Its cultivation method is practically self-torture. It grows by absorbing lightning, meaning it has to be struck by lightning periodically.
[Dad Douluo]: But playing with lightning comes at a huge cost. Most Thunder Hell Prison Vines die before they can grow strong, killed by the heavenly lightning they attract themselves. They're literally gambling their lives.
The chat group fell silent again.
This time, it was silence filled with astonishment.
[Tyrant Dragon Mom]: Damn, a soul beast like that actually exists? Getting struck by lightning all the time sounds miserable. Living like that is pure suffering.
Liu Erlong spoke bluntly.
She certainly didn't think being struck by lightning every day sounded like a good thing.
[Big-Chested Kitty]: The world is vast and full of wonders. Using such an extreme method to evolve means the survival rate must be extremely low. Yet Ah Qing encountered one with ten-thousand-year cultivation. Its vitality must have been extraordinary.
Zhu Zhuqing sighed.
Even after enduring lightning constantly, it still reached ten-thousand-year cultivation.
That soul beast must have been anything but ordinary.
[Bing Bing]: Hmph.
The Ice Empress let out a cold sound.
[Bing Bing]: Soul beasts face a heavenly tribulation every hundred thousand years, already a life-and-death trial. Yet this soul beast endures a lightning tempering year after year. Surviving to the ten-thousand-year level means its willpower must indeed be strong.
Her tone remained arrogant, but for once it carried a subtle trace of recognition for a fellow soul beast.
[Ice Heaven Snow Girl]: Lightning is violent and unpredictable. Using it to temper one's body causes suffering far beyond the scope of ordinary cultivation. Reaching thirty thousand years is indeed not easy.
The Snow Empress's evaluation was calm and authoritative.
[Little Witch]: That's unbelievable! Both unlucky and resilient at the same time. It sounds like such a legendary story!
Ning Rongrong's young heart had the least resistance to such tragic yet powerful stories.
[Dad Douluo]: Exactly. I was lucky. I happened to encounter it right after it failed to withstand lightning, and its aura was weak, so I seized the opportunity.
[Dad Douluo]: Its soul ring unexpectedly matched my life-attribute Blue Silver Grass perfectly. After absorbing it, my soul power jumped five levels, and I even gained the ability to control lightning.
He added a grinning emoji.
Lin Qingmo clearly enjoyed this casual banter with Ning Rongrong and the others in the chat group.
But in reality, the atmosphere was quite different.
The carriage swayed gently, and the cabin was quiet.
Tang San sat in the corner of the carriage, his face dark as the sky before a storm.
His lips were tightly pressed together. Occasionally, his gaze swept toward Lin Qingmo's smiling profile.
Deep in his eyes, suppressed resentment and jealousy flickered.
Dai Mubai was equally troubled.
His gaze often lingered on Zhu Zhuqing.
But almost all of her attention was on the scenery outside the window—or rather, the chat group interface Dai Mubai couldn't see.
Seeing that she paid him no attention at all made his chest feel heavy.
The girl who once chased him all the way to Shrek Academy, with stubborn determination and disappointment in her eyes, seemed to be drifting farther and farther away.
How could he win her back?
Power?
Status?
Or… something else?
For the first time, Dai Mubai felt helpless and lost.
Not long after,
The Shrek group finally returned to Shrek Academy.
After hearing Zhao Wuji's report, the teacup in Flender's hand dropped straight to the floor.
"You encountered the Titan Giant Ape?!"
His voice cracked, and his eyes widened behind his glasses.
Zhao Wuji nodded bitterly.
Then he described the entire dangerous encounter in detail.
Flender listened with his heart pounding, cold sweat running down his back.
That was the king of the forest. The fact that these children returned alive was pure luck.
But the next piece of news made him frown.
"Oscar's soul ring absorption was interrupted, and he missed the best soul ring? Old Zhao, what happened?"
Zhao Wuji sighed and carefully explained Tang San's actions at the time.
The more Flender listened, the darker his expression became.
Interrupting someone's soul ring absorption was no small matter.
Soul master cultivation relied heavily on opportunity. One failure could mean missing the most suitable soul ring forever.
Oscar had always worked hard, yet he was delayed just like that.
"And Tang San even provoked the Dragon Duke and Serpent Lady?"
Flender adjusted his glasses, feeling his temples throb.
Why was this kid always causing trouble?
The Dragon Duke and Serpent Lady were famously difficult figures in the Soul Master world. Offending them meant future hunts in the Star Dou Forest would be far more dangerous.
Flender's opinion of Tang San dropped another level.
Zhao Wuji asked whether Tang San should give Oscar an explanation.
After a moment of deep thought, Flender let out a long sigh.
"Old Zhao… I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about this. Tang San's background…"
"Damn it!"
Zhao Wuji clenched his fists in frustration.
But he was helpless.
After all, Tang Hao was Tang San's father.
"In the future, we'll just give Oscar more support as compensation. That's the only thing we can do."
Zhao Wuji nodded and continued his report.
However, the next sentence nearly made Flender jump out of his chair.
"What did you say? Lin Qingmo's fourth soul ring is thirty thousand year one?!"
Zhao Wuji nodded vigorously, still looking amazed.
"Not just you. When I saw that ten-thousand-year black soul ring myself, I was stunned. That kid Qingmo is a complete monster."
Flender froze for several seconds.
Then he suddenly burst into laughter.
Good kid!
Absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring as the fourth ring had never been recorded in the entire history of soul masters.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
His impression of Lin Qingmo skyrocketed.
This was a true genius.
A true monstrous prodigy!
—
End of Chapter