"How could you just let Yiran become his disciple like that? And she came back without even absorbing her third Spirit Ring. This is just too ridiculous."
"Yiran, let's go. Grandpa will take you to find a new Spirit Ring. With Grandpa around, no one will dare to snatch your Spirit Ring."
In the small town on the edge of the forest, the beast-hunting squads that took on commissions were already out soliciting business in the early morning.
The Dragon Duke, Meng Shu, took Meng Yiran by the hand, ready to enter the Star Dou Great Forest again. He was clearly very displeased that Snake Grandma had acted on her own and made Meng Yiran become a disciple without consulting him.
"Grandpa, Teacher is already helping me find a suitable third Spirit Ring. We should wait for him to come back and see what he says," Meng Yiran said. She had already kowtowed and become his disciple—the only time in her life she had ever performed such a solemn ceremony. One had to have integrity. Besides, the Peach Blossom Token her teacher had given her was very beautiful, and she liked it a lot.
"Old man, calm down. That Teacher Su single-handedly helped both those girls hunt for their third Spirit Rings. The two of us together had trouble catching a single thousand-year-old Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Serpent. Let's not make a fuss anymore. A person has to admit when they're getting old." Snake Grandma hooked the corner of Dragon Duke Meng Shu's clothes with her staff and pulled him back.
But her words only infuriated him more. "Who said I'm old? At our rank, we can easily live for a hundred and fifty years. We're in our prime right now! Losing that Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Serpent was just an accident, an accident, that's all!"
"Alright, alright, I know it was an accident. You're still very capable. But you should still rest, old man. You're getting all out of breath from your anger."
"Do you see those two little girls? They are both students of that Teacher Su. At only twelve years old, they are already rank 31 Spirit Elders, and both are nearly unrivaled at their rank. It's no loss for our Yiran to study with them." Snake Grandma looked at the Dragon Duke helplessly. As the saying goes, a man is a boy until he dies. Although this old man was getting on in years, his temper was as stubborn as when he was young. She was usually at a loss with this stubborn mule and tended to humor him, but this time, she felt that letting her granddaughter become a disciple was an absolutely correct decision.
After leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, she had spoken at length with Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong and was amazed by their experiences at Shrek and Taoyuan Academy. This made her even more certain that Yiran studying under Su Ran at Taoyuan Academy would likely lead to a bright future.
Meng Yiran, for her part, didn't care much about the other things, but she was extremely curious about the gray needle Zhu Zhuqing had used to shatter Dai Mubai's protective barrier. Learning that it was extracted from the Ghost Shuttle hidden weapon given to her by Su Ran, she became very curious about it.
And then there was the matter of what was under Teacher Su Ran's mask. The more exaggeratedly Ning Rongrong described why it couldn't be taken off, the more curious she became.
The Dragon Duke was dragged by Snake Grandma to a small teahouse in front of the inn to calm down with a couple of cups of tea.
Only Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were craning their necks, waiting anxiously for Su Ran to return. Their teacher had been alone in the Star Dou Great Forest for over a day, and they were worried.
Just then, amidst the morning dew and the fresh scent of grass, as people came and went in the small town, cries of astonishment rose from the road leading to the forest.
"Holy crap, who is that? So damn awesome."
"It has a purplish-blue king's mark on its head and yellow and red stripes on its body. That's at least a 2,000-year-old Blood King Tiger, right?"
"And he's leading a Ghost Barrier Great Snake! That's probably two or three thousand years old too! And they're both ferocious spirit beasts. How did he tame them?"
"So scary. I'd better stay far away. I heard the mist sprayed by the Ghost Barrier Great Snake is not only poisonous but can also spawn other venomous snakes to attack. One bite and you're a goner."
The Spirit Masters and residents of the small town consciously cleared a path.
Although various major powers had examples of capturing spirit beasts alive and raising them in their sects, they mostly chose hundred-year or even ten-year beasts. Ferocious and terrifying thousand-year spirit beasts like these were something most powers wouldn't dare to capture alive. A moment's carelessness and you could be bitten to death. Only the Spirit Hall likely had that kind of strength.
But the one riding them was a young, masked man who didn't look very old.
He was dressed in flowing white robes, and the mask he wore was exquisitely crafted. He was half-reclined on the back of the Fierce Blood King Tiger, returning in a leisurely and carefree manner.
Seeing Su Ran on the tiger's back, both Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong's faces lit up with joy.
Ning Rongrong, in particular, ran over quickly. "Teacher, you're finally back! Are you hurt?"
"Mmm, I'm fine. Are you two alright?" Su Ran jumped down from the tiger's back and patted Ning Rongrong's head.
Ning Rongrong hid on Su Ran's left side, a little afraid of the tiger and the great snake on his other side. They did indeed look very fierce, making one want to keep a respectful distance. Even the current Ning Rongrong was not very willing to get close to them. However, Su Ran's head pat was very comforting to her, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"You are Su Ran?" The Dragon Duke, Meng Shu, walked over at this moment, scrutinizing both Su Ran and the spirit beasts behind him. "This kid has a fine bearing and an otherworldly aura. He certainly doesn't look like an ordinary person. But he's so mysterious, wearing a mask in broad daylight. It's really suspicious."
"You must be the Dragon Duke. I am indeed your granddaughter's teacher," Su Ran said, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Is this Ghost Barrier Great Snake the third Spirit Ring you've chosen for Yiran?"
"Yes."
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be over two thousand years old. Don't you know that the limit for a Spirit Master's third Spirit Ring is only around 1,700 years? You've chosen a 2,000-year-old ring for my Yiran. Are you trying to make her burst to death from the Spirit Ring's power?" The Dragon Duke, Meng Shu, thumped his dragon-headed staff on the ground. A wave of a Spirit Master's pressure bore down on Su Ran, his eyes sharp.
He and Snake Grandma only had this one granddaughter and doted on her immensely. If they had entrusted her to the wrong person, they would die of regret.
"Rongrong, Zhuqing, show the Dragon Duke your Spirit Rings. Tell him how old your third Spirit Rings are."
Facing the Dragon Duke's pressure, Su Ran just waved his hand dismissively, dispersing it. He couldn't be bothered to explain and simply let Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong speak with facts.
"My third Spirit Ring is 2,700 years old."
"Mine is a 2,500-year-old third Spirit Ring."
A purple Spirit Ring with an extraordinary aura materialized around both Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.
With his Spirit Douluo level cultivation, the Dragon Duke could naturally sense that this purple Spirit Ring was unusual. Although Snake Grandma had told him that Yiran's two new schoolmates were not simple, seeing their Martial Souls and Spirit Rings with his own eyes was another matter. He now realized that these two girls, who had been glaring at each other just moments before (Ning Rongrong was still sulking), were so incredible!
"Such a young Spirit Saint is a rare sight indeed. Having you as Yiran's teacher does not tarnish the reputation of us, the Unrivaled Dragon and Serpent."
"However, I know Yiran's constitution very well. If she absorbs this Spirit Ring you've chosen for her, she will surely die. You may have taught these two girls well, but it won't work for Yiran," the Dragon Duke said after a moment, having regained his composure from the shock of Su Ran effortlessly neutralizing his pressure.
He only had this one precious granddaughter. Although her status might not be as noble as Ning Rongrong's or Zhu Zhuqing's, in his and Snake Grandma's eyes, Meng Yiran was the most precious treasure.
Hearing this, Su Ran was not angered by the Dragon Duke's questioning of his judgment. Instead, he smiled. Meng Yiran was very fortunate to have grandparents who cared so much for her.
"So that's what the Dragon Duke is worried about."
"With Yiran's current physique, she is naturally unable to absorb this Ghost Barrier Great Snake as her third Spirit Ring. She must undergo my special training and learn from me before she can do so."
"Dragon Duke, Senior Snake Grandma, if this girl dies under my hand because she absorbed this Spirit Ring, then I am not fit to be a teacher. At that time, you are welcome to come to Soto City, raze Taoyuan Academy to the ground, and scatter my ashes to the wind." Su Ran was at least that confident.
"Then how do you plan to teach Yiran?"
"There are too many eyes and ears here. I have my own plans once we return to the academy."
Because Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had revealed their Martial Souls, the crowd of Spirit Masters, who were already in an uproar over Su Ran capturing two rare spirit beasts alive, were now rubbing their eyes and marveling at Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School Martial Soul. On the Douluo Continent, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was the inherited Martial Soul of one of the three upper sects, a bona fide noble Martial Soul, and naturally attracted a lot of attention.
"Hey, you old man, can you stop being so long-winded?" Ning Rongrong couldn't help but speak up for her teacher, seeing the Dragon Duke questioning his abilities. "It's Junior Sister Yiran's good fortune to be able to become Teacher's disciple. Don't be so ungrateful, old man. Others beg to become his disciple and can't. Your power isn't that great, but your airs are certainly grand enough. I can't stand the way you're putting on a show, hmph!"
Don't you see that I, the little princess of the magnificent Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, am willing to study diligently under him? What right do you have to complain? I can't stand people who bully my teacher! Hmph!
Zhu Zhuqing also nodded. "Senior Sister Rongrong is right."
"Hey, you two little brats—"
(End of Chapter)