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Steal it? With what? With their heads?! Dragon Duke's expression was ghastly.
He had assumed Lan Minghua was on par with him but never expected him to be a Titled Douluo. For insulting a Titled Douluo so blatantly, even if they were killed, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.
Although Meng Yiran had a proud streak, she understood the situation. Tugging at Dragon Duke's sleeve, she whispered, "Grandfather, I don't want this Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent anymore. Let's just go."
Dragon Duke forced a wry smile. Now, their ability to leave depended entirely on Lan Minghua's mood. To depart abruptly would be a grave insult—and how could their Exotic Beast Clan dare to dishonor a Titled Douluo?
Lan Minghua heard Meng Yiran's words clearly. She wasn't a little demoness like Ning Rongrong. She was a bit proud, perhaps, but at sixteen she had already reached Soul Power Level Thirty. Her talent was respectable, and her character seemed sound enough.
He silently commanded, "System, check Meng Yiran's talent rating."
[Name: Meng Yiran]
[Age: Sixteen]
[Martial Soul: Snake-Headed Staff]
[Soul Power: Level Thirty]
[System Talent Score: 81]
"Only 81?" he muttered. "Still a notch below the main cast."
It was unsurprising—few in their generation could rival the Shrek Seven. Perhaps only the Element Academy's Feng Xiaotian, Shui Bing'er, and Huo Wu, or the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall could compare.
Still, a score over 80 marked Meng Yiran as a genius.
Lan Minghua stepped forward and asked softly, "So, are you still going to fight for it?"
Dragon Duke bowed respectfully. "Your Highness must be joking. Since it is the spirit beast your apprentice fancies, how would I dare to covet it."
Serpent Lady chimed in, "My eyes were blind; I hope Your Highness will forgive my earlier words. I shall chastise myself at once." Raising her hand, she prepared to slap her own cheek—only to be halted by an invisible force.
"That's enough. Let it not happen again," Lan Minghua said. He approached the three of them. "I don't mind giving you the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent—but on one condition."
Dragon Duke dared not haggle. "Your Highness, please name it. Any request within my power, I shall fulfill without hesitation."
Pointing at Meng Yiran, Lan Minghua declared, "Your granddaughter has talent. Let her become my disciple, and this Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent will serve as her third Soul Ring."
"Eh?!" Everyone present was stunned.
Was this how things were supposed to unfold? Wasn't Lan Minghua supposed to extort them soundly before handing over the serpent? How did it turn into recruiting a disciple?
Hearing the word "talent," the corner of Zhao Wuji's mouth twitched. He wasn't bragging, but when it came to talent, which of the seven Shrek students wasn't stronger than Meng Yiran? But he didn't yet know that Lan Minghua's criteria for accepting disciples went beyond just talent.
Dragon Duke's shock melted into elation—he never imagined such immense fortune would fall so easily upon his granddaughter.
"Yiran, perform the apprenticeship ceremony at once!" he commanded.
Meng Yiran stared, stunned. This was not what she expected. But to take a master who had one-shot the Titan Giant Ape was an honor she would gladly accept. She knelt before Lan Minghua and delivered three resounding kowtows.
"Master!" she proclaimed.
Lan Minghua nodded. "Very well. From now on, you are my disciple." Then he looked to Oscar. "Oscar, aren't you going to give the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent to your junior sister?"
Oscar looked like he wanted to cry but couldn't shed a tear. "Master, wasn't that meant for my third Soul Ring? Have you forgotten all about me now that you have a new junior sister?"
"Stop your whining and give it to her. I've already found you a more suitable spirit beast. Keep complaining, and I'll give you a beating."
Upon hearing a better beast had been found for him, Oscar's attitude changed faster than one could flip a page. He dragged the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent over to Meng Yiran, grinning. "Third Junior Sister, I'm your First Senior Brother—fourteen years old, Soul Power Level Thirty."
Then he pointed to Zhu Zhuqing. "That's your Second Senior Sister, Zhu Zhuqing—twelve years old, a Level 29 Spirit Grandmaster."
Meng Yiran's pupils shrank to pinpoints. This roguish-looking Oscar was Level Thirty and two years younger than her. Her Second Senior Sister, Zhu Zhuqing, was four years younger and already at Level 29! She had thought being Level Thirty at sixteen made her a genius—but compared to them, she was nothing.
Dragon Duke and Serpent Lady were also stunned. The talent of these children was terrifying. Offending them would have meant living the rest of their lives in fear.
Lan Minghua glanced at Oscar and teased, "When did I say she was my third disciple?"
"Uh? Am I wrong?" Oscar's eyes widened as he pointed to himself, Zhu Zhuqing, and Meng Yiran. "Isn't it just the three of us?"
"You also have a Third Senior Brother. You should be able to meet him soon. Try not to be too shocked when you do."
Of course they'll be shocked, Lan Minghua thought. Their Third Senior Brother is a Titled Douluo.
Turning to Meng Yiran, he added, "Oscar and Zhuqing are your senior brother and sister. If calling them that feels awkward, just use their names." He understood that addressing younger peers as "senior" might be difficult for Meng Yiran, who was older.
Suddenly Ning Rongrong, who had been silent, stepped forward. "Teacher Lan, I would also like to become your disciple. Please accept me too!" She moved as if to kneel.
Before she could, Lan Minghua's voice cut in. "I'm sorry, but we do not share a master-disciple fate. You don't need me as your master—if you wish to learn, there are plenty who can teach you."
He gently declined. His impression of Ning Rongrong was not favorable, and his foremost criterion for accepting a disciple was his intuition—a test she did not pass.
Ning Rongrong's confident smile wilted, her face darkening instantly. Since entering Shrek Academy, she was no longer the adulated young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Damn it, she seethed internally, why accept the less talented Meng Yiran but not me?
While coming to resent Shrek, she now resented Lan Minghua as well.
However, stranded in the perilous Star Dou Great Forest, she dared not express any dissatisfaction. A Level 29 support-type Spirit Grandmaster could not survive here alone, not even on the outskirts.
Lan Minghua paid her no mind. Not accepting meant not accepting. Besides, if she truly wanted instruction, couldn't she just ask the Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo?
To Dragon Duke and Serpent Lady, he said, "I'm taking her with me. Don't worry—she's my disciple, nothing will happen to her."
"Of course," Dragon Duke replied. "For Yiran to become Your Highness's disciple is a blessing earned over three lifetimes." After a few more words of instruction for their granddaughter, they hurried away, their hearts brimming with joy—their journey had been more than worthwhile.
Lan Minghua turned to Zhao Wuji and the others. "Xiao Wu will return soon. If you doubt it, leave now. If you believe me, then wait."
With that, he led Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, and Meng Yiran to a suitable spot for them to absorb their new Soul Rings.
Though uncertain if Lan Minghua was telling the truth, Zhao Wuji and the others chose to wait. With him present, no soul beast in the outer forest could harm them.
Meanwhile, the Sky Blue Bull Python had poured all its primordial power into erasing the soul beast aura from Xiao Wu.
"Sister Xiao Wu, I must sleep for a time. If anything happens, you'll have to find Er Ming," it said, conveying her to the surface before succumbing to a deep slumber.
Xiao Wu stood at the lake's edge, her face radiant with joy. The soul beast aura had been completely concealed. Moreover, she had formed her third Soul Ring, ascending to a Three-Ring Soul Elder.
"Hehe… I can keep living with Little San again. Hmm? Where did Er Ming go?"
(End of Chapter)