Time flies, and a month has already passed in the blink of an eye.
During this month, the mainland was outwardly calm, with only a few minor disturbances.
But people from all the major powers understand that the continent is already rife with undercurrents.
Of course, none of this mattered to Jiang Li, who had taken on many commissions in the past month.
Although the amounts are not very large, something is better than nothing.
At this moment, in the Red Dust Mansion.
Inside the familiar little pavilion.
"I wonder what business the Master of the Red Dust Hall has with me this time?"
Jiang Li sat on a stone bench, holding a glass of wine in his hand.
Jing Hongchen, sitting opposite him, did not elaborate further.
He replied directly, "Young friend Jiang, I would like to ask you to help my grandson and granddaughter obtain their fifth soul rings."
"Okay, 100,000 per person, 200,000 in total," Jiang Li put down his wine glass and gave the offer.
Jing Hongchen's eyes twitched slightly after hearing the price, but he didn't dwell on it.
He nodded slightly and said, "No problem, it's only two hundred thousand."
"Look at what the Red Dust Hall Master is saying, how about raising it a little more?" Jiang Li smiled maliciously.
Upon hearing this, Jing Hongchen quickly waved his hand, laughing and crying at the same time, "Never mind, two hundred thousand is not a small amount."
Jiang Li stopped joking and asked calmly, "When does the Red Dust Hall Master plan to depart?"
"Let's not delay, let's set off now. The two children are already waiting outside."
As soon as Jing Hongchen finished speaking, two figures quickly stepped into the pavilion; they were none other than Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, the brother and sister.
At this moment, Xiao Hongchen was dressed in a white and gold outfit. His once arrogant and unruly eyes were now full of admiration and respect when he looked at Jiang Li, completely devoid of his former arrogance.
Standing to the side, Meng Hongchen wore an ice-blue dress, her silver hair cascading down her shoulders. Her face was beautiful and aloof, but when she looked at Jiang Li, her eyes held deep admiration, making her look like a little fangirl.
After learning about Jiang Li's heroic deeds, the brother and sister were completely captivated and became his devoted fans.
Upon seeing Jiang Li, they immediately bowed and greeted him respectfully in unison, "Brother Jiang!"
Jiang Li nodded slightly in agreement, then stood up and said, "Let's go, let's go to Jingyang Mountain Range first and deal with Xiao Hongchen's soul ring."
Jing Hongchen gave the brother and sister a few words of advice, then handed over a deposit of 200,000 gold soul coins to Jiang Li. The three of them immediately set off for the Jingyang Mountains within the territory of the Sun Moon Empire.
A few days later, at the Jingyang Mountains.
The mountain range stretches for thousands of miles, with geothermal activity surging deep within and flames billowing, making it a gathering place for fire-attribute and metal-attribute soul beasts.
After speeding along, Jiang Li and his two companions soon arrived at the core area of the Jingyang Mountains.
The air was filled with sweltering heat, the ground was scorching hot, the surrounding vegetation was withered and yellow, and exposed red rocks were everywhere.
"Brother Jiang, I want a ten-thousand-year spirit ring," Xiao Hongchen followed closely behind Jiang Li, his tone filled with anticipation and complete trust. He firmly believed that Jiang Li could help him obtain the most suitable spirit ring.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li glanced around, seemingly locking onto his target, and said calmly, "Follow me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he walked to the front.
Without much thought, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen followed.
Soon, the three of them passed through a red stone forest.
In the blink of an eye, they saw a giant lizard covered in dark gold metallic scales and wreathed in blazing flames.
The ten-thousand-year-old Golden Flame Toad possesses both metal and fire attributes, perfectly matching Xiao Hongchen's three-legged Golden Toad Martial Soul.
The Golden Flame Toad sensed the presence of living beings and abruptly raised its head, its scarlet eyes fixed on the three of them.
With a slam of its giant claws onto the ground, the crimson rocks shattered, and it opened its massive maw to spew out scorching golden flames, rushing towards the enemy with a violent surge of soul power.
"Brother Jiang, be careful!"
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen exclaimed in surprise, and were about to stop him when they saw Jiang Li move and rush out.
He easily dodged the oncoming golden flames with a mere flash of his body.
Then, he clenched his fist, lunged forward, and delivered a simple punch.
Bang--!
With a muffled thud, the incredibly hard metal scales shattered instantly, and the Golden Flame Toad let out a painful roar.
But then, Jiang Li kicked it in the belly with overwhelming force.
This ancient golden flame toad-scaled lizard had no power to resist; its massive body was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the rocks, and it was clearly on the verge of death.
In just a few punches and kicks, a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast was easily defeated in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Hongchen stood there, his eyes wide open, looking at Jiang Li with admiration, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Jiang is amazing! He solved it so easily!"
Meng Hongchen's eyes also lit up, and her gaze toward Jiang Li became even more admiring, her worship of Jiang Li growing even stronger.
"What are you standing there for? Go kill them and absorb their soul rings," Jiang Li turned around and gave a calm order.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongchen finally came to his senses and hurriedly stepped forward to deliver the final blow to the Golden Flame Toad.
Then he sat cross-legged and guided the ten-thousand-year soul ring into his body.
With Jiang Li guarding the area, no soul beast dared to disturb them, and the process went very smoothly.
Several hours later, Xiao Hongchen successfully absorbed the ten-thousand-year soul ring. He stood up and felt the surge of power within his body, and he was very excited.
He bowed deeply to Jiang Li: "Thank you, Brother Jiang!"
Seeing this, Jiang Li waved his hand slightly and said in a calm tone, "Alright, your grandfather did give you the money."
After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the outside of Jingyang Mountain Range. His pace was neither fast nor slow, but it carried an inexplicable sense of oppression, making the hidden soul beasts around him not dare to breathe.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen exchanged a glance, their eyes overflowing with admiration. They quickly followed, one on each side of Jiang Li, like two little beasts flanking their leader.
"Brother Jiang, your physical body is too monstrous! That was a ten-thousand-year-old Golden Flame Toad! It didn't even have time to unleash its full soul skill before you took it down with just a few punches and kicks..."
As Xiao Hongchen walked, he couldn't help but mutter excitedly, "In the future, I will also strive to reach Brother Jiang's level, and then settle the world with one punch!"
Upon hearing this, Meng Hongchen covered her mouth and laughed, "Brother, you'd better not even think about it. With your physique, you probably wouldn't be able to run more than a few laps."
"Dream, can you please stop undermining me like this?" Xiao Hongchen was speechless.
Jiang Li heard the siblings talking, but he only glanced at them indifferently.
The brother and sister were unaware of anything amiss and simply followed silently.
In less than half a day, the three of them crossed the geothermal Jingyang Mountains and returned to the forest area outside.
The air here is moist and cool, a stark contrast to the sweltering heat inside the mountains.
"Next, let's go to the far north."
Jiang Li stopped and looked north, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The far north is the best place for Meng Hongchen to obtain his fifth soul ring.
Xiao Hongchen patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Brother Jiang, with you here, even if a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast from the far north comes, we won't be afraid!"
He had just been promoted to the fifth ring, so he was full of confidence.
Meng Hongchen rolled her eyes at her older brother, then looked at Jiang Li's back and said with a smile, "Brother Jiang, you've really had a hard time this time."
Jiang Li simply waved his hand to indicate that he didn't care.
.........