Suddenly, the sound of rustling leaves came from a nearby grove.
Ye Wen and Huo Yuer turned their gaze to see Tang Ya and Bei Bei appear before them.
"Oh! It's the little sister and uncle from yesterday. What a coincidence!" Tang Ya greeted them with her usual outgoing enthusiasm.
Ye Wen didn't look at Tang Ya but instead focused on Bei Bei behind her. Though he hadn't activated his spirit, Ye Wen could clearly sense that the young man's entire body was on high alert.
"After all, as the direct descendant of the current Holy Light Dragon, it's not surprising for him to possess such qualities… though it's a pity."
Ye Wen shifted his gaze back to Tang Ya.
"A pathetic lapdog."
With Ye Wen's discerning eye, he could easily gauge their cultivation levels. Bei Bei undoubtedly had innate full soul power, but at sixteen years old, he still hadn't broken through to the 40th rank. This reminded Ye Wen of another lapdog—Feng Xiaotian.
As for Tang Ya, reaching level 30 at fifteen was decent for an ordinary genius, but compared to top-tier prodigies, she fell far short.
Still, Tang Ya's existence was a slap in the face to Yu Xiaogang, who had claimed that no Blue Silver Grass soul master would have innate soul power exceeding level one.
Then again, even a dead camel was larger than a horse. Especially for the once-iron-willed Tang Sect, which had blindly revered Tang San, mandating that the sect leader must possess the Blue Silver Grass spirit. After thousands of years of inheritance, even the most lackluster spirit would undergo some degree of bloodline refinement. Add in some rare treasures for postnatal cultivation, and achieving this level wasn't surprising.
It was just unfortunate that they were still sabotaged by Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.
Having Blue Silver Grass as a spirit was one thing, but copying Tang San's spirit rings? That was a recipe for disaster. Without the protagonist's plot armor, the Tang Sect would have been utterly erased from history.
Thinking about this, Ye Wen suddenly noticed something odd.
According to the original timeline, Tang Ya and Bei Bei should have been worried about Huo Yuhao being alone and followed him to protect him, eventually convincing him to join the Tang Sect.
But now, with Ye Wen—a seemingly powerful figure—present, why were they still here?
Ye Wen narrowed his eyes slightly.
So, was Tang San meddling behind the scenes again?
Though Ye Wen could perceive fate's aura, the more mysterious aspects of destiny remained completely invisible to him. Even after all these years, no god possessed dominion over fate.
But none of that mattered right now.
"What brings you two here?" Ye Wen asked indifferently.
At his words, the two froze, exchanging awkward glances. They had only impulsively decided to greet someone they saw, but they weren't actually familiar with Ye Wen or Huo Yuer.
"Sorry for disturbing you, senior," Bei Bei politely apologized to Ye Wen and Huo Yuer, then prepared to leave with Tang Ya.
Ye Wen didn't stop them but watched their retreating figures thoughtfully.
"Master, what do we do next?" Huo Yuer timidly asked.
After a moment of contemplation, Ye Wen silently took Huo Yuer's small hand and quietly followed behind Bei Bei and Tang Ya.
Under Ye Wen's spiritual concealment, Bei Bei and Tang Ya remained completely unaware of being tailed. Ye Wen could still hear Tang Ya complaining about how cold and rude they were being.
Hearing this, Ye Wen couldn't help but feel exasperated. Was Tang Ya just lucky, or was she truly this naive? Despite having experienced the tragedy of her sect's destruction, she remained so innocent and carefree. Later, her corruption would lead to her spirit mutating—it was absurd.
Setting Tang Ya aside, Bei Bei truly lived up to his status as a pampered young master.
Ye Wen gazed meaningfully into the distance, where a hidden Soul Douluo was secretly protecting the two.
It made sense. After all, this was the Douluo Continent, rampant with evil soul masters. Bei Bei and Tang Ya's cultivation levels were barely enough to bully ordinary civilian soul masters. Against deranged evil soul masters, they wouldn't stand a chance in a fight—not without someone secretly watching over them.
*Shh~*
The sound of something brushing against the grass reached their ears. Bei Bei immediately entered combat mode.
Two yellow rings and one purple ring—the optimal soul ring configuration.
But how mediocre.
Ye Wen sneered inwardly as he followed behind.
This kind of soul ring configuration might have been impressive ten thousand years ago on the Douluo Continent, but in this era, top-tier prodigies all had transcendent soul ring configurations.
And you're the great-grandson of Mu En, the strongest Dragon God Douluo of the Douluo Continent. Can't you even get your hands on a ten-thousand-year whale jelly to improve your physical aptitude?
Though his soul rings were lackluster, Bei Bei's combat skills were commendable. Combined with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's explosive lightning attacks and the dragonification ability of his spirit, he managed to hold his own against a millennium-ranked soul beast that would normally be difficult for ordinary soul masters to defeat.
In the end, Bei Bei relied on his solid personal combat abilities to narrowly subdue the soul beast.
Watching the battle, Ye Wen felt bored. In the original timeline, it wouldn't have been so easy without Huo Yuhao's mental sharing cheat.
Another wasted prodigy of a second-generation heir.
However, the devoted lapdog Bei Bei didn't see it that way. At this moment, he forcefully pinned the head of the Mandrake Snake to the ground, preventing it from moving.
"Xiao Ya, hurry!"
Tang Ya knew exactly what to do. She immediately pulled out a dagger and stabbed it into the Mandrake Snake's eye.
Though many considered the Mandrake Snake, Tang San's first spirit ring, to be weak, it was actually one of the few titled soul beasts—Toxic Sword Demon · Mandrake Snake.
Aside from its eyes and mouth, the Mandrake Snake had almost no obvious weaknesses. If not for Tang San's bizarre hidden weapon techniques, he wouldn't have been able to kill it in the original timeline.
A purple spirit ring began to condense in the air, but Tang Ya didn't absorb it immediately. Instead, she straightened and stretched the Mandrake Snake's body.
"The Mandrake Snake doesn't have many natural predators. Once it surpasses a thousand years, its strength condenses, causing it to shed its skin continuously. Its body color changes from dark green to pink, and its length shrinks back to one meter, then grows an additional meter every hundred years. After reaching two thousand years, it shrinks again, and the pink deepens.
Judging by this Mandrake Snake's color and length, it should be around thirteen hundred years old. While it doesn't reach the optimal age mentioned by our ancestors, it's still sufficient to serve as your third spirit ring, Xiao Ya," Bei Bei explained carefully.
Tang Ya nodded excitedly, praising him. "Beibei, you really are an outstanding student. This Mandrake Snake is indeed thirteen hundred years old and perfect for my spirit ring."
The Mandrake Snake held special significance for the Tang Sect. She couldn't wait to absorb it.
Though Bei Bei was exhausted, his eyes were filled with affection as he said,
"Hurry and absorb it. I'll guard you."
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