Zhao Wuji looked troubled, remaining silent.
Not receiving a response, Xiao Wu looked to Ning Rongrong, who gave her a subtle nod.
Xiao Wu turned, her eyes falling upon the corpse of a Man-Faced Demon Spider not far away. She cried out in surprise, "Is that… a Man-Faced Demon Spider?!"
Then, upon clearly seeing the wound on its abdomen resembling a human face, her legs suddenly gave out, and she sank to the ground, her heart flooding with panic. "How could Xiao San be absorbing this Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring? Its cultivation has long surpassed the maximum limit for a third spirit ring!"
Her words drew the attention of Zhao Wuji and the others.
"How do you know?"
Xiao Wu's eyes welled with tears, and she choked out, "Master said the limit for a third spirit ring is around seventeen hundred years. But this Man-Faced Demon Spider's legs are over three meters long; it has at least… two thousand years of cultivation! Xiao San can't withstand this spirit ring!"
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji's face filled with shock. However, Tang San was at a critical juncture. If they were to interrupt him now, it would truly mean the end of Tang San's life!
"It's probably too late to stop him now. We can only pray Xiao San can endure," he said in a deep voice.
Xiao Wu was not foolish.
She knew Tang San was pushing to reach level 30 Soul Elder and acquire a spirit ring, all for her and Suisui.
But it was precisely because of this that she now felt intensely guilty. Yet, nothing she said could change the situation; all they could do was pray for Tang San to endure and survive. Su Dan Novel Network
The others, full of worry for Tang San, did not notice the slender eyelashes of Tang Sui, lying on the ground, tremble slightly, as if she were about to wake.
"It's you again!"
A familiar, sharp cry echoed from the forest. Meng Yiran and Zhao Tianxiang, whom they had seen the day before, emerged from the dense woods. This time, however, it wasn't just the old and young; a third person, an elder holding a dragon-headed staff, accompanied them.
"Why her again!" Oscar, following Meng Yiran's indignant gaze, saw the man and woman behind her. His eyelids twitched, and he instantly retreated behind Dai Mubai, lowering his voice in dismay, "Good heavens, Boss Dai, the other troublesome person is here this time too!"
Dai Mubai patted Oscar's arm but then resolutely stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Tang San, who was still absorbing his spirit ring.
Seeing this, Oscar silently retreated to his original position but also implicitly formed a barrier around Tang San, who was absorbing his spirit ring.
Ma Hongjun also subtly joined Oscar and the others, forming a united front to shield Tang San. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, alert, protected Tang Sui from the front and back.
"Grandpa, Grandma, it's them again! They stole my spirit ring!"
Meng Yiran pointed furiously at Tang San. Xiao Wu, hearing these words filled with possessiveness, gritted her teeth angrily and stood up to retort, "Yours, yours! If you had absorbed this Man-Faced Demon Spider, you probably would have exploded by now!"
Meng Yiran's anger flared, "What did you say?!"
Meeting the two stern gazes behind Meng Yiran, Xiao Wu fearlessly pointed at the dead Man-Faced Demon Spider's corpse and said, "Look closely! This Man-Faced Demon Spider has over two thousand years of cultivation! The maximum limit for a third spirit ring is only around seventeen hundred years. I wish you were the one absorbing the spirit ring now! Then you'd be the one who might explode!"
She knew she was lashing out in anger, but the three people before them were clearly here with ill intentions. No matter what, she had to at least establish her side of the argument first!
"A sharp-tongued little girl, indeed." Long Gong Meng Shu, who had been leaning on his dragon-headed staff, stepped forward. His sharp eyes like knives scraped across Xiao Wu. He struck the ground with his staff, which exuded a powerful aura, and the oppressive pressure of a Soul Sage instantly crushed down upon them, turning Ning Rongrong and the others with lower spirit power pale.
"Even if my granddaughter couldn't absorb this spirit beast, it won't go to you lot!"
Meng Shu's words caused others to frown. Zhao Wuji, his face grim, stepped forward and cupped his hands towards Meng Shu, speaking in a gentle tone, "Elder Long Gong, this junior is Zhao Wuji, the Unmoving Bright King. Greetings."
"Zhao Wuji, you needn't say more. Last time, you discovered the Phoenix Tail Chicken Crown Snake first, true, but this time, it was my old man who first injured that beast. This matter cannot be let go so easily." Zhao Tianxiang stepped forward, speaking before Zhao Wuji could, and glanced at Tang Sui, lying on the ground protected by Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
With Zhao Wuji protecting her, this little girl had also been injured and fainted?
And… their aura felt a bit weaker than before. Could it be that they had experienced some intense battle?
Thinking this, Zhao Tianxiang exchanged a look with her husband, a tacit understanding passing between them.
Unfazed by the interruption, Zhao Wuji maintained his clasped-hand posture and said, "The student is indeed mine. But I dare not claim to be his teacher. To be frank, although Tang San is my student, his actual teacher is someone else."
"Oh?" Meng Shu narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Tang San, who was still absorbing his spirit ring, a thought forming in his mind.
The last time his wife encountered this boy, he was only in the twenties. In just one day, this boy had broken through to Grandmaster and reached the Soul Elder cultivation, and he had even managed to absorb a two-thousand-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider without exploding, truly possessing extraordinary talent.
The teacher capable of nurturing such a monstrous genius must also be an extraordinary individual…
With this thought, Meng Shu gave Zhao Tianxiang a look. Zhao Tianxiang, understanding, patted her granddaughter's arm, signaling her to remain calm.
"Unmoving Bright King Zhao Wuji, is it?"
Meng Shu turned his head and looked at Zhao Wuji, speaking calmly.
—Author's Note—
Beep—Your grumpy-when-waking Sui Sui is about to enter the battlefield.