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"Qin Ming, Dugu Yan... looks like they really are members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's top battle team!"
As Dai Weisi spoke, his gaze shifted to the cold and aloof girl standing beside Dugu Yan. The girl had a delicate and refined face, appearing about the same age as Zhu Zhuyun.
She had a slender, graceful figure, dressed entirely in black, with a thin veil covering her face. Her long waterfall-like blue hair cascaded down her back.
The girl's eyes were particularly striking—large and beautiful, the same deep blue as her hair. Her gaze was pure and crystal clear, without the slightest impurity. Her long lashes curled upward gently, and every blink seemed to carry a lively, spirit-like charm.
"Could this girl be Ye Lingling?"
Dai Weisi mused to himself. Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Flowering Apple Martial Soul was known as a "miracle among martial souls," famed for its powerful large-scale healing abilities.
It was said that with a Nine Heart Flowering Apple Soul Master by your side, even dying was a challenge. Unfortunately, the Nine Heart Flowering Apple came with a major flaw—only two people could possess it at any given time.
Only after one of them died could a descendant inherit the martial soul.
After studying Ye Lingling for a moment, Dai Weisi turned his gaze to the half-dead Seven-Colored Deer lying at his feet. The deer was also known for its healing abilities, clearly selected as a soul beast prepared for Ye Lingling.
It was just that the deer was too fast and had managed to escape their group—only to run into him instead.
That said, with Qin Ming—an assault-type Soul Emperor—present, it didn't make sense for a thousand-year-old soul beast to have gotten away.
What Dai Weisi didn't know was that they had come specifically to help Ye Lingling obtain her third soul ring.
In order to train the students in actual combat, Qin Ming had deliberately chosen not to intervene, leaving it to Yu Tianheng and the others to handle. That was how the Seven-Colored Deer had slipped away.
Seeing that Dai Weisi was about to kill the deer, Qin Ming quickly shouted, "Young friend, please wait!"
Just as the words left his mouth, Qin Ming and the seven members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Battle Team arrived before him. Upon seeing the dazzling ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring beneath Dai Weisi's feet, Qin Ming rubbed his eyes in disbelief. After confirming what he saw, he was stunned and cried out:
"Ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring?!"
"What?!"
Yu Tianheng and the others immediately lowered their heads to look at Dai Weisi's feet. Upon seeing the soul ring themselves, they were equally dumbfounded.
"It really is a ten-thousand-year fourth ring!"
"How is that even possible? I thought the limit for a fourth soul ring was five thousand years!"
"If anyone dares say again that the limit for a fourth soul ring is five thousand years, I'll slap them silly and use their skull as a chamber pot!"
"Young friend!"
Qin Ming was the first to recover from the shock. After all, the Seven-Colored Deer before them was still the priority—it was the perfect match for Ye Lingling.
He had only meant to train the students' practical combat skills, never expecting the soul beast to be taken by someone else.
"I sincerely apologize. We discovered this Seven-Colored Deer first, but it accidentally escaped us. I hope you would consider returning it to us."
"..."
Dai Weisi said nothing. He simply glanced over at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, quietly sizing them up.
He hadn't expected to run into Dugu Yan here. He had to think of a way to swindle that immortal herb from her grandfather, Dugu Bo—the ultimate sucker.
If he could get his hands on one of those herbs, he was confident he could break through to level 50 in an instant. Honestly, Dugu Bo was pitiful. He guarded such a treasure trove of herbs without even realizing its value, only to get tricked to death by Tang San in the end.
Tang San clearly had the ability to revive both the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape—two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts—yet he never even considered reviving Dugu Bo.
Ye Lingling was also impressive. Her mass healing ability would be an absolute game-changer on the battlefield—there'd be no need to worry about wounded soldiers at all.
Right now, Dai Weisi's thoughts were entirely focused on how to get his hands on the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's immortal herbs—and how to lure Ye Lingling over to... well, no, trick her into joining the Star Luo Empire.
"Hey! He's talking to you! Are you deaf or something?!" Seeing Dai Weisi remain silent, Yu Tianheng grew irritated and cursed, "That's our target soul beast! Give it back—"
"Enough!"
Before Yu Tianheng could respond, a sudden tiger's roar erupted from the carriage behind them. In a flash, Li Hu appeared in front of Dai Weisi, unleashing an oppressive aura so intense that everyone froze in place.
Even Qin Ming was no exception. The reason he had spoken so politely to Dai Weisi earlier was because he had sensed two terrifying soul power fluctuations.
"How dare you be disrespectful to His Highness the Crown Prince! Don't think that just because you're from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, you can throw your weight around in front of His Highness. Let me tell you—you're not even close to being qualified!"
"..."
Although Li Hu's tone was extremely arrogant, not a single person, including the previously brash Yu Tianheng, dared to talk back.
"Evil-Eyed White Tiger... the Crown Prince... I understand now!"
Qin Ming's expression changed as realization dawned. He immediately bowed respectfully and said, "So, you're the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire. I deeply apologize for the offense. A ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring—looks like the Star Luo Empire has birthed yet another prodigy."
After offering a few words of flattery to Dai Weisi, Qin Ming turned to the Seven-Colored Deer and said, "Your Highness, may I request that you return the deer to us? We're willing to compensate you with some gold soul coins."
"You—" Li Hu opened his mouth to protest, but Dai Weisi raised his hand to stop him. A devilish smile curled at his lips.
Seeing that expression, Li Hu shivered inwardly. He knew the Crown Prince was cooking up something devious again.
"Fiery Flame Grey Wolf... you must be Teacher Qin Ming of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. I've heard of your exploits. As the second-youngest Soul Emperor on the continent, your reputation is well earned."
Dai Weisi paused, then casually kicked the Seven-Colored Deer toward Qin Ming's feet and continued, "Since it was your prey to begin with, I'll return it to you.
As for the gold soul coins, I don't need them. Just make sure you handle the kill cleanly—don't ruin such a fine hide. Once it's done, hand over the pelt to me. That won't be a problem, right?"
"Truly?" Qin Ming's eyes lit up, clearly surprised at how agreeable Dai Weisi was being.
"A gentleman keeps his word, even if it's as heavy as a team of horses. You can start absorbing the soul ring now."
Qin Ming smiled and said, "Then we're most grateful, Your Highness. Lingling, go ahead!"
"Yes!"
Ye Lingling replied softly, then sat cross-legged, summoning her soft pink Nine Heart Flowering Apple Martial Soul. She activated the soul ring and fused it with her martial soul, officially claiming her third soul ring.
"So this is the Nine Heart Flowering Apple Martial Soul... No wonder it's called a miracle among martial souls—it's beautiful," Dai Weisi remarked, admiring the blossom.
But for him, it was purely an aesthetic observation. If Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan, were here, he'd probably be squealing with excitement.
Dai Weisi didn't lower his voice at all, so everyone around him heard his words clearly. Yu Tianheng couldn't help but grumble, "I didn't expect him to actually know about the Nine Heart Flowering Apple. I thought the people from Star Luo were just a bunch of muscle-headed brutes who worship power."
"Tianheng, that's enough," Qin Ming said as he patted Yu Tianheng on the shoulder with a sigh. "The Star Luo Empire truly is powerful. If it weren't for the Spirit Hall standing between them, the Heaven Dou Empire might have already been swallowed up.
Judging by Dai Weisi's age, he's probably around twenty—only a few years older than you. If I'm not mistaken, he'll be participating in the Soul Master Tournament three years from now.
Aside from the Spirit Hall Battle Team, Dai Weisi and the Star Luo Imperial Academy will be your greatest rivals!"
(End of Chapter)