The moment Meng Shu saw his little granddaughter, a smile broke across his face.
Before he could respond, Meng Yiran spoke up in surprise, "Eh? Grandpa, aren't they the people from Spirit Hall we saw earlier?"
"Indeed they are."
Meng Shu glanced at Hu Feng and the others, who remained cautious beside Ling Xiao, and shook his head.
"Alright, there's no need to stay on such high alert. My granddaughter has already absorbed her first soul ring."
"Even if I were to seize this soul beast, I wouldn't be able to use it immediately. Furthermore, I couldn't have captured this beast myself. I certainly won't take advantage of others or resort to robbery now."
Seeing that the Serpent Woman, Chao Tianxiang, had also arrived at Meng Shu's side—completing the Unrivaled Dragon Serpent pair—Lor Diarra could only reply, "If that is the case, then we thank Senior for his kindness."
"However, hearing your words just now, it seems Senior recognizes this soul beast. Would you mind telling us about it?" Lor Diarra asked, shifting the topic.
Nodding as he looked at the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, Meng Shu said, "This soul beast is called the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear. It is an overlord species among soul beasts. Among bear-type soul beasts, it can be called the absolute number one."
"It is far more powerful than the Vigorous Vajra Bear, which is already considered quite formidable among high-level soul beasts. That pair of Dark Gold Terror Claws, in particular, possesses terrifying destructive power."
"You, young man, have truly great luck to obtain such a soul beast as your first soul ring. The ring it produces will be far stronger than the first soul rings of more than ninety percent of the world's soul masters."
Meng Shu spoke with a sigh, seemingly lamenting Ling Xiao's good fortune, or perhaps regretting that his granddaughter had ultimately missed out on it.
Hearing Meng Shu's explanation, Lor Diarra and the others finally gained some understanding of this beast. They now understood why Lord Chrysanthemum cared so much about it, even going so far as to exhaust a massive amount of soul power to fight a grand battle with that adult soul beast.
On the surface, Ling Xiao remained calm and composed, but inside, he was overjoyed. Such an incredible soul beast was about to become his soul ring! Moreover, considering its characteristics, the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was a perfect match for his Profound Sky Axe.
This was simply fantastic.
Stay calm, stay calm. Don't get cocky, Ling Xiao silently cautioned himself.
However, while his expression might have fooled the adults around him, it seemed to be detected by the young girl, Meng Yiran.
She was a bit unhappy; her grandfather and grandmother had just been injured by that giant bear—thankfully not severely—so it didn't matter much that they didn't catch it. But now, hearing her grandfather describe how powerful this beast was, she was also surprised.
Looking at this Spirit Hall youth who was clearly about her age yet acted with the steadiness of an adult, she figured he must be gloating inside after getting such a good soul beast.
Hmph, brat, still pretending to be all grown up, Meng Yiran thought secretly.
She couldn't help but grab Meng Shu's clothes and said petulantly, "Grandpa, is this bear really as amazing as you say? It doesn't look that different from other bears to me. Isn't it just a bit better looking and a bit fatter?"
Meng Shu shook his head helplessly.
"Yiran, do you not even believe your Grandpa? If this bear wasn't powerful, how could your Grandpa and Grandma have just—cough, cough—"
Halfway through, Meng Shu broke into a fit of coughing. He suddenly realized that the people in front of him hadn't witnessed the scene of him being defeated by the adult Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
It was better to stop talking; it was too embarrassing.
"In short, this kind of soul beast is indeed very powerful."
Meng Yiran was clearly unsatisfied with her grandfather's answer. Her small mouth pouted slightly as she glanced at Ling Xiao, who was still standing there with a calm and steady demeanor. She couldn't resist shouting at him, "Hey! What's your name?"
Hearing Meng Yiran's question, Ling Xiao was about to answer when an old trope from his past life popped into his head. He couldn't help but say, "I'm not called 'Hey.' My name is Ling Xiao."
Clearly, Ling Xiao hadn't noticed that the little girl found him slightly eyesore. His playful, somewhat sharp retort only served to fuel Meng Yiran's temper; she was fuming inside.
Clenching her right hand tightly around her Serpent Staff, Meng Yiran said crisply, "Ling Xiao, once you're done absorbing your soul ring, do you dare to have a match with me? Let's see whose soul skill is more powerful!"
Ling Xiao was about to agree, but then he wondered if he should ask for Lor Diarra's opinion or wait for Chrysanthemum Douluo to return.
After all, his current status was somewhat special. If Spirit Hall wanted to keep someone with his exceptional talent a secret to some extent, it would be a problem. For a moment, he looked conflicted.
Just as he was about to ask, a somewhat effeminate voice suddenly drifted down from the sky.
"Fine. I'll agree on Ling Xiao's behalf."
A figure radiating golden soul power flew down from above and landed slowly.
It was Chrysanthemum Douluo.
After his fierce battle with the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, he didn't appear injured, but Meng Shu immediately noticed that his soul power aura was unstable. It seemed his consumption had been quite high.
Meng Shu sighed inwardly.
As expected. Although the Serpent Dragon Joint Assault of my wife and I can contend with a Titled Douluo who has just entered the ninth-ring realm, there is still a gap compared to a Titled Douluo like Yue Guan who has reached Rank 95. Otherwise, that Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear wouldn't have fallen into Spirit Hall's hands.
"Greetings, My Lord."
Lor Diarra and the others bowed as they saw Chrysanthemum Douluo finally return. The worry in their hearts finally dissipated. Without Chrysanthemum Douluo, even if the Dragon Lord showed goodwill, they lacked confidence.
In the Douluo Continent, strength ultimately did the talking.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, thank you truly for this time."
Ling Xiao was also delighted and stepped forward to thank him respectfully.
He truly owed Chrysanthemum Douluo a favor. Although hunting this soul beast was an order from Bibi Dong, for Chrysanthemum Douluo, the Savage Sabertooth Tiger would have been enough to fulfill his duty.
Engaging in a fierce struggle with a high-cultivation Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear carried significant risks. Ling Xiao's gratitude was heartfelt. While he usually found Chrysanthemum Douluo to be sissy—what kind of grown man dresses so flamboyantly?
Today, he suddenly felt that the man was quite handsome.
Even his effeminate manner was somewhat cute; more importantly, he was a powerhouse. One had to ask: how many people on the continent could snatch a child away from a Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear whose cultivation was likely approaching one hundred thousand years?
"It is nothing. This seat was merely carrying out the Pope's orders. Besides, Dark Gold Terror Claw Bears are extremely rare. This seat also wishes to see what kind of soul skill can be born from it."
Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke indifferently before looking at the Meng Shu couple.
"I presume you two would also like to witness it as well?"
The couple exchanged a glance before Meng Shu replied, "Since Lord Chrysanthemum agrees, then we thank you. This old man also wishes to see what kind of soul skill this bear can bring to the child. It can be considered as settling a curiosity."
"Mm."
Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded, his expression turning serious.
"Ling Xiao, go. Kill it and absorb the soul ring it produces. This seat will personally protect you."
"Right!"
A sharp light flashed in Ling Xiao's eyes.
He leveled his right arm, and as black-red light surged from his palm, the bronze-colored Profound Sky Axe manifested.
As soon as the martial soul appeared, a soul power that was weak yet filled with an overbearing aura radiated from it. Ling Xiao's body surged with soul power of the same characteristic.
"This martial soul?"
The Unrivaled Dragon Serpent couldn't help but be surprised.
They looked at Chrysanthemum Douluo in confusion. Both possessed deep experience on the continent, yet they did not recognize this martial soul.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and the others remained silent. They actually didn't know what kind of power this unique martial soul—judged by the Pope to be appearing for the first time in the Douluo Continent—truly possessed.