Chapter 18 No More Fights, Sleepy!

The longer Zao Wou-ki fought, the more he felt something was off. This wasn't the strength of an ordinary Soul King. Lu Yuan's attack earlier, combined with the lingering injuries from Tang Hao, made his chest ache.

Old Zhao might be in trouble today!

"Why are you all just standing there? Get lost!"

Zao Wou-ki shouted at Tang San and the others, trying to push them away from the fight.

"But Teacher Zhao, you said we could learn from this fight!"

Ma Hongjun called out, feeling it wasn't fair to be sent away.

"Learn what? I have to go to the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow. Now scram!"

Zao Wou-ki was getting frustrated. He needed to focus on the fight, not babysit these students.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan's fourth spirit ring flickered, and the combined power of Surge and Sword Will brought his strength to its peak. With the drunken state's special bonus, his sword erupted into black flames, rising more than two meters high.

At the same time, he injected spirit power into his right arm spirit bone and slashed down with a single stroke. The fire dragon formed by the attack roared toward Zao Wou-ki.

"Martial Soul True Body!"

Zao Wou-ki's body grew even larger, his defense and other attributes boosted to their maximum.

Boom!

Zao Wou-ki managed to block the fire dragon with his massive hands, but the impact sent him sliding backward slightly.

If this went on, it would really be embarrassing. This kid is not a normal Soul King. If Zao Wou-ki hadn't activated his Martial Soul True Body, he might not have been able to block the attack.

The injuries Tang Hao had inflicted were still affecting him, and he wasn't at his best.

"Alright, no more fights! I'm sleepy!"

Zao Wou-ki made his exit, backing away from the battle.

Tons… Tons… Tons… Ha!

"That was fun!"

Lu Yuan was pleased. The soul bone that Xue Qinghe had given him was proving to be very useful. "Xiao Xuexue really knows how to pick a good soul bone. I'll have to go find him for another drink when I get back."

As Zao Wou-ki retreated, the crowd of onlookers stood in stunned silence.

"Wow! I didn't think a fight with a Soul Sage could be so one-sided."

"The guy is a monster, becoming a Soul King at this age!"

"Do you think he'd join us in the Star Dou Great Forest? We could use someone like him!"

Lu Yuan glanced at the other soul masters standing around.

"Anyone else want to fight?"

He said, cracking his neck and eyeing the crowd.

The soul masters collectively took two steps back. No one was crazy enough to fight him after seeing how easily he handled Zao Wou-ki.

"I-I'm here to deliver wine!"

A middle-aged man stammered, stepping forward with a jar of wine.

"Ha! Good man!"

Lu Yuan took the jar, sniffed it, and immediately started drinking.

Tons… Tons… Tons…

"Good wine!"

Lu Yuan exclaimed.

"I'm Ye Zhiqiu, from Canghui Academy,"

the man introduced himself, hoping to make a connection.

"Ha… Good wine, Ye Don't Fix!"

Lu Yuan laughed, mispronouncing the man's name. Ye Zhiqiu's eye twitched, but he decided not to correct him. It wasn't worth it.

Zhu Zhuqing, who had been quietly watching from the side, stepped forward. She hadn't gone back to the hotel with the others, choosing to stay and watch Lu Yuan's fight with Zao Wou-ki instead.

"Little Cat, come on, let's have a drink,"

Lu Yuan said, offering her the jar of wine.

"You're drunk. Let me take you back."

Zhu Zhuqing helped him up and led him back to the second floor of the hotel. She sighed softly as she closed the door behind him.

For her, tonight would be another sleepless night.

At the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest…

"It must've been that fake wine that b*****d Ye Don't Fix gave me. I'm gonna deal with him next time I see him!"

Lu Yuan muttered as he finally woke up, late in the afternoon. He blamed his oversleeping entirely on the wine.

Ye Lingling, who was standing nearby, rolled her eyes. "You drank too much, that's all."

"Lu Yuan Big Brother, I just saw a 3,000-year-old Phalaenopsis that would've been perfect for me. Why didn't you let me absorb it?"

Ye Lingling asked, still confused.

"It doesn't matter which spirit ring you absorb. Always go for the highest age. The stronger, the better!"

Lu Yuan explained. With Ye Lingling's Martial Soul, Nine Hearts Begonia, which specialized in large-area healing, it was crucial for her to absorb spirit rings with the highest possible age.

"But Teacher Qin Ming said…"

Ye Lingling started to protest, recalling the theories taught in class.

"Huh? Did he say that?"

Lu Yuan scratched his head. He didn't remember Qin Ming saying anything like that, but then again, he spent most of his class time drinking.

"You were drinking in class, so of course you don't remember!"

Ye Lingling muttered under her breath.

"Don't worry, just listen to me. If Qin Ming has any complaints, he can come talk to me."

Lu Yuan's expression changed suddenly as his eyes lit up, and he reached for his sword.

"Rongrong, Lingling, stay here and don't move. I'll be right back."

In an instant, Lu Yuan had disappeared into the trees, moving at incredible speed.

Moments later, he spotted a beautiful mink with a shimmering purple-gold coat, glinting in the sunlight.

"You little beast, you sure can run fast,"

Lu Yuan muttered, taking a swig of wine. With Surge activated, his speed increased, and he quickly closed the distance between himself and the spirit beast.

Suddenly, a powerful suction pulled the mink away from him. Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed as he saw three people standing nearby—an elderly couple and a young girl. The old man had already captured the mink in his hands.

"A Purple-Gold Mink! And more than 4,000 years old,"

the old man said, admiring the creature.

"Old man, that mink is mine!"

Lu Yuan's eyes flashed as he approached, sword in hand.

"The spirit beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest belong to whoever catches them first."

The old man replied calmly, not taking Lu Yuan seriously due to his young age.

"You want to fight?"

Lu Yuan activated his spirit rings, his fighting spirit ignited.

"The road is far?"

The old woman beside him gasped. She recognized him. There weren't many soul masters with spirit ring configurations like that, and Lu Yuan's reputation had spread far and wide.

After confirming his identity, the elderly couple exchanged uneasy glances. They had no use for the mink's spirit ring, and offending both the Tiandou Royal Academy and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect wasn't worth it.

"It's you, Lu Yuan! Here, take the mink."

The old man handed it over with a forced smile, hoping to avoid any conflict.

"Who are you?"

Lu Yuan asked, taking the mink without hesitation.

"We are the Dragon and Snake Couple."

The old man replied, but Lu Yuan wasn't paying much attention to him. His gaze had shifted to the young girl standing beside them.

"Ha… You're pretty cute. Want to have a drink with me?"

Lu Yuan asked with a grin.

"This is my granddaughter, Meng Yiran,"

the old man said, sensing that Lu Yuan might be interested in his granddaughter.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad situation after all.

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