Chapter 111: Beyond Expectation

Tie Li left twenty Gold Soul Coins as a deposit, planning to return after three days.

It shouldn't disappoint me, right?

……

"Pah, you think you can catch me? Maybe I'll make you part of me, hehe!"

Crimson vines coiled around Duolangbu's arm like a poison snake, then suddenly pierced the Soul King's heart.

"Ah!"

After a wail, the Soul King lost all vitality and became a desiccated corpse.

Duolangbu's aura grew a notch, leaving only the final step before Level 60.

Killing another Spirit Hall Soul King was truly exhilarating.

Beneath Duolangbu lay corpse after corpse, all drained of blood and turned into dry corpses.

But he didn't notice two pairs of eyes in the shadows watching Duolangbu's every move.

"I really want to slay him with a single blade."

"This is Qi Ye's order; we should not defy it. He slaughtered another village. This time I'll report back to Qi Ye, and you stay to continue monitoring him."

"Fine."

Two yellow, three purple, two black—monitoring Duolangbu were two Seven-ring Soul Saints, both Soul Masters with flying martial souls, able to report immediately.

He returned to Ning Qi Ye and recounted the events in full detail.

"Very good, my help in shielding him from the Spirit Hall's pursuit was not in vain," a flash of light glimmered in Ning Qi Ye's eyes.

"Qi Ye, why are you keeping him? Someone like him…"

"Shut up, don't ask what you shouldn't."

"Understood."

The blue‑clothed man beside him gestured, signaling him to return immediately and continue supervising Duolangbu.

After the Seven-ring Soul Saint left, the blue‑clothed man finally asked.

"Qi Ye, is this worth it? The Spirit Hall has already begun to suspect us."

"Worth it. Though Fallen Soul Master's methods are filled with evil darkness, they truly can evolve soul bones; his soul bone has only been a few years? It's already advanced to 60,000 years. Give him a bit more time, maybe he'll break through to 100,000 years;"

"Hahaha, a 100,000‑year soul bone, and you've been stuck at Level 89 for how many years? When you absorb that 100,000‑year bone, you'll break the bottleneck and become the sect's third Title Douluo." By the end, Ning Qi Ye's expression revealed a twisted mania.

The blue‑clothed man's hand twitched involuntarily—yes, he's been stuck at Level 89 for years, unable to advance.

Then he'll not only obtain a 100,000‑year soul bone but also cross into the domain of a Title Douluo.

Sacrificing some weak Soul Masters and ordinary people—what does that matter?

……

Tie Li sent Tie Wu a letter and a piece of whale glue; the letter explained the glue's function, noting that aphrodisiac effect is merely a side effect, urging him not to chase trivialities.

A few days later, Tie Wu replied with a letter, stating that he followed Tie Li's instructions, swallowed the whole whale glue, and tried to suppress the side effects with willpower.

But a female steward of the Spirit Hall suddenly burst into his room, leading to an indescribable mishap between the two.

According to Tie Wu, the steward was twenty‑five, a Level 37 Soul Elder; with her strength she could easily suppress Tie Wu, yet she chose to go along with his condition.

From the chaotic words in the letter, Tie Li could sense Tie Wu's mindset while writing it!

Panicked, Tie Wu could only ask Tie Li for advice—what should he do?

Honestly, it was Tie Li's first time encountering this, and he truly didn't know how to reply.

In the end, Tie Li sent Tie Wu a thousand Gold Soul Coins, and the letter was a blank sheet; its meaning was left to his imagination.

Forty‑one Thunder Crystals have been placed around the usual meditation area, their effect better than that of Thunder Stone ground.

As for the gauntlets re‑forged in Tiandou City, the other side succeeded, using hundred‑fold forging technique, flawlessly embedding a Thunder Python horn, boosting Thunder and Lightning Attribute by seven percent.

This confirmed Tie Li's suspicion: besides paying the remaining eighty Gold Soul Coins, he also put down a deposit of two hundred Gold Soul Coins, retrieved the rest of the armor, plus several Thunder Crystal armor‑beast crystals and a 400‑year‑old Thunder Python horn.

Tie Li agreed on a one‑month deadline; after a month, he would collect the armor from the blacksmith shop and pay the remaining Gold Soul Coins.

Mu Wei returned from his family, and the first thing he did upon reaching the academy was to seek Tie Li.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Mu Wei's anxious look, Tie Li couldn't help but ask.

"Boss, when I passed the Sunset Forest, I saw a clutch of Soul Beast eggs."

Mu Wei recounted the incident in full detail.

The clutch was on a cliff at the outskirts of Sunset Forest, which he happened upon by chance.

Since it's on the outskirts, the Soul Beasts' cultivation shouldn't be too strong.

But unwilling to risk it, he immediately returned to fetch Tie Li.

"How many Soul Beast eggs?" Tie Li was a bit tempted; selling the eggs could fetch a good price.

Soul Beasts hatched from the eggs are easy to tame and more loyal.

Eggs on a cliff might have been left by flying Soul Beasts, greatly increasing their value.

"I didn't count precisely, maybe five."

If they're century‑old Soul Beasts, Mu Wei and I have plenty of capacity; after all

"Alright, let's go check first."

"Alright."

To avoid drawing attention, both changed out of their school uniforms into plain cloth garments and left the academy.

Mu Wei deliberately left markers along the way, fearing he'd lose the location.

When Tie Li saw the cliff at Sunset Forest's outskirts, he realized he'd underestimated its steepness.

But besides them, another group also discovered the Soul Beast eggs on the cliff.

Their preparation was more thorough; two of them had martial souls suited for climbing, and within moments they reached the nest's edge, intending to haul the eggs down one by one.

"Boss, shall we act?"

There are six or seven people in this group, but the soul power fluctuations on them are weak; the two who are climbing each have only two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow.

"Wait a moment, let them take all the Soul Beast eggs, then we'll strike." As soon as Tie Li finished speaking, a red long shadow swooped toward them.

Its snake body stretched six or seven meters, with a blood‑red flesh crown atop its head, pale‑red wings, and a tail shaped like a fan.

"It's a phoenix‑tail rooster‑crown snake, and it's a thousand‑year‑old." Tie Li's eyes widened.

The phoenix‑tail rooster‑crown snake snapped its fangs, and toward the human Soul Master who stole its eggs, it was filled with rage.

Tie Li planned to leave here directly with Mu Wei; a thousand‑year‑old phoenix‑tail rooster‑crown snake is not easy to deal with.

"Xiao Ao, your Third Soul Ring has been secured!"

(End of chapter)