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A soul beast covered entirely in dazzling gold light was engaged in a fierce battle. It had several sharp golden horns on its head, powerful limbs that resembled eagle talons with razor-sharp claws, and a long, flexible tail tipped with a spike. On its back was a pair of wings covered in metallic scales, which it was flapping fiercely as it fought against a magnificent golden bird that radiated an air of nobility.
That golden bird was breathtakingly beautiful, with a smooth, graceful body shape like the perfect arc drawn across the sky. But the most striking part was its feathers—each one shimmering with a golden light, as if formed from the purest sunlight. They glowed warmly and intensely, and under direct sunlight, they dazzled so brightly it was hard to look at them.
Its wings were especially impressive—when spread wide, they looked like two massive curtains of fire, edged with dazzling red and orange patterns. Every flap of its wings stirred the air with waves of heat. Its tail feathers were long and elegant like a phoenix's, covered in intricate, ancient-looking patterns resembling mystical runes. Every time it flicked its tail, tiny sparks flew out, creating vivid, ever-changing images in the air.
"Wait—that's the Gold-Eating Beast and the Blazing Fire Crow!"
Luan Yu's eyes lit up with surprise. The Gold-Eating Beast was one thing—this kind of metal-eating, gold-element soul beast was rare, sure, but not very useful to them. None of the kids needed a beast like that. But the Blazing Fire Crow? That was a different story. It had the bloodline of the divine Three-Legged Golden Crow—a light-and-fire dual-element soul beast.
Because of its divine lineage, the Blazing Fire Crow was no doubt a top-tier soul beast. With its dual light and fire attributes, it was suitable for all four kids—Meteor, Firefly, Xu Tianzhen, or Ye Guyi. Whoever absorbed its soul ring would gain an extremely powerful soul skill, no question about it.
The Blazing Fire Crow wasn't big, clearly still a fledgling. Judging by its tail feathers, it had only cultivated for around 400 years. Meanwhile, the Gold-Eating Beast it was fighting was much larger and seemed to be at least 800 years old, but it still couldn't overpower the younger Blazing Fire Crow.
While the Gold-Eating Beast didn't have divine blood, it was still a top-tier beast. Once fully grown, its defense alone could rival some super-level soul beasts. Yet here it was, getting overpowered by a beast with a few hundred years less cultivation. That was partly due to the element matchup—fire beats metal—but mostly because of the divine bloodline of the Blazing Fire Crow.
"So? Who wants this Blazing Fire Crow?" Luan Yu asked.
If she were being selfish, of course she'd want her own kids, Meteor or Firefly, to absorb the divine-blooded soul ring. But she wasn't going to play favorites. Xu Tianran and Shangguan Weier had entrusted the kids to her, so she had to treat everyone equally.
So she left the decision to the kids themselves. As for the Gold-Eating Beast—none of them needed it, so they'd just chase it off.
Meteor and Firefly were the first to shake their heads. Sure, the Blazing Fire Crow was rare and well-matched for them, but its cultivation was too low. They had already decided to go for soul beasts at the thousand-year level for their first rings, a decision backed by Fire Phoenix Douluo's testing.
As a Title Douluo, she had been able to confirm that both Meteor and Firefly had bodies strong enough to handle thousand-year rings—on par with a Soul Elder—so they could skip the hundred-year ones.
Luan Yu wasn't surprised by their choice. While she didn't like them taking risks, she trusted her judgment. Their physical strength really was outstanding. The Blazing Fire Crow was a good match in terms of attribute and bloodline, but the years of cultivation just weren't enough.
Ye Guyi glanced at the Blazing Fire Crow in the mirror and also shook her head. The bird was mainly fire-aligned, with light as a secondary attribute. While it wasn't a bad fit, it wasn't her ideal match either.
Xu Tianzhen looked at Ye Guyi, then at Meteor and Firefly, and softly said, "Thank you."
She knew the Blazing Fire Crow was a perfect match for her. With the blood of the divine Three-Legged Golden Crow and the dual light/fire attributes, it complemented her Sun Martial Soul perfectly. She understood that the others giving up on it might've been their way of letting her have it.
"Wait, something's wrong!"
Suddenly, Luan Yu shouted and grabbed the kids, charging toward the two fighting soul beasts. At the same time, she flared her soul power and yelled, "Stop!"
Let's rewind a little. Just as the kids were discussing who should absorb the Blazing Fire Crow's ring, Luan Yu saw something in the mirror of her soul tool—a figure had suddenly appeared and rushed toward the fighting beasts. A golden beam of light shot from the figure, piercing through the sky and striking the golden bird's wing in the blink of an eye.
The Blazing Fire Crow let out a heart-wrenching cry as it fell from the sky, badly injured. Meanwhile, the Gold-Eating Beast was stomped hard into the ground by the same attacker's thunderous kick.
Luan Yu moved at full speed, landing in the clearing with the kids. She stared at the white-haired man now standing on top of the Gold-Eating Beast, then quickly looked over at the Blazing Fire Crow, which was still flapping around on the ground despite its broken wing.
She let out a huge sigh of relief. Thank goodness—it was still alive!
Patting her chest to calm herself, Luan Yu admitted she had just assumed the bird had been killed, which was why she'd rushed in so frantically with the kids.
"Grandpa!"
Just then, a boy and a girl came running out of the nearby forest. They looked nervously at Luan Yu and the others, then carefully hid behind the white-haired man who had stomped the beast.
"You're... Hall Master Hongchen?" Luan Yu finally got a clear look at the white-haired man. He wore a monocle, had a head of stark white hair, and was dressed in a purple robe that marked him as a member of the Mingde Hall. Middle-aged, but clearly strong.
She instantly recognized him—one of the three top-ranked soul engineers of the Sun-Moon Empire, head of Mingde Hall, dean of the Royal Soul Engineering Academy, a Rank 94 Title Douluo, and Rank 9 Soul Engineer: Jing Hongchen.
"Huh? Oh—it's you, Luan Yu! You're here with kids to hunt soul rings too?"
Jing Hongchen looked surprised, then quickly recognized her. He glanced at the four children behind her and nodded in understanding.
Once they realized their grandpa knew this lady, the boy with white hair and the girl with red hair dropped their guard. The white-haired boy even ran straight to the Gold-Eating Beast, his eyes full of excitement and longing.
"Grandpa, the Gold-Eating Beast..."
Jing Hongchen pulled out a white handkerchief and wiped his hands, then jumped off the massive body of the Gold-Eating Beast. He smiled and said, "Go on, Xiao—this Gold-Eating Beast is yours."
Despite its reputation for powerful defense, the beast's low cultivation meant it didn't stand a chance. Jing Hongchen's stomp—at a Title Douluo level—had knocked it out cold.
With his grandfather's permission, the white-haired boy couldn't wait. He pulled out a soul tool dagger and stabbed it into the beast's eye, finishing off the top-tier soul beast. The Gold-Eating Beast shuddered a few times, then went completely still. A single yellow soul ring slowly rose from its body.
"....."