Soul Land: I Am the True Grandmaster

Chapter 194: The Interception Squad, Part Two

Snake Lady was silent for a moment. The older one gets, the more cautious one becomes. While Ye Tianxin's group was sizable and intimidating, they were still young no older than twenty with soul powers, at most, at the level of Soul Ancestors. Snake Lady didn't find this worrisome. But to reach that level at such a young age, these kids were clearly trained by a powerful faction, meaning a guardian was likely lurking nearby.

Yet the Phoenix Tailed Crest Serpent before them was perfectly suited to her granddaughter's martial soul. Having waited a week to find one in the Star Dou Forest, she was reluctant to give it up. After a moment's thought, Snake Lady's eyes hardened as she spoke.

"In that case, let's settle this the way soul masters do. Have whichever of your students needs the serpent's soul ring duel my granddaughter in a fair fight."

"I'm afraid that won't work, Senior Snake Lady," Ye Tianxin replied calmly.

Though Snake Lady was only a Soul Emperor, she took pride in her status. She had already gone to great lengths to negotiate respectfully with a junior, and to be declined so casually was a real slight.

"Little girl, don't push your luck. The reputation of the Unrivaled Dragon Serpent isn't built on empty boasts!"

Ye Tianxin cast a cool glance at her, thinking that Snake Lady was indeed quick tempered, likely accustomed to authority.

Pointing to Liu Yuanyuan, she explained, "Senior Snake Lady, it's this companion of ours who needs the soul ring, but she's a food type soul master. Surely you wouldn't have her face your granddaughter in a duel?"

Snake Lady's forceful demeanor wavered, turning to frustration. A food type? She could have saved herself some breath if she'd known sooner.

"Well, if not her, choose someone else. My granddaughter is at Rank 30, a two ringed Soul Grandmaster. Find someone of a similar level."

"That won't work either," Ye Tianxin replied.

"What now?" Snake Lady demanded.

Ye Tianxin could only shrug helplessly. Everyone in the team, except for Liu Yuanyuan, was at least a Rank 40 Soul Ancestor, well into their twenties. It would be an unfair contest.

"Senior, your granddaughter's level is too low to duel any of us. Besides Liu Yuanyuan, the lowest ranked among us is at the Soul Ancestor level. Having a Soul Grandmaster duel a Soul Ancestor would hardly be fair."

While Ye Tianxin hadn't intended any offense, Liu Yuanyuan couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm just a mere Rank 30 Soul Grandmaster; forgive me!" she thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Snake Lady was stunned. Excluding the food type soul master, every other student was at least a Soul Ancestor. When did such powerful young soul masters start appearing on the continent? Had she, being out of touch for so long, lost track of the current generation?

Suddenly, Snake Lady had a realization. "Are you students from Tianxing Academy?"

While she hadn't followed outside affairs closely, she knew of this academy, which had only risen in the past decade yet boasted an unrivaled training standard. The average graduate of a regular advanced soul master academy was around Rank 30 by age twenty five. But Tianxing Academy graduates often reached Soul Ancestor level, fit to join elite teams in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament. Many of her own academy's materials were sourced from Tianxing Academy.

If these young men and women were indeed Tianxing Academy students, she had no choice but to let go of the Phoenix Tailed Crest Serpent. Snake Lady sighed inwardly, ready to concede.

"You have sharp eyes, Senior," Ye Tianxin replied with a smile. She couldn't help feeling proud of her academy.

Realizing that resisting would be unwise, Snake Lady prepared to leave with her granddaughter. Tianxing Academy was no small force; she'd be wise not to provoke them. They could simply find another soul beast elsewhere.

"No need to leave so soon, Senior," Ye Tianxin said. "Since you're already here, how about a friendly duel? If you can best me, the soul ring is yours."

Ye Tianxin's companions barely reacted to her challenge, except Liu Yuanyuan, who silently thought, "Here we go again; the eldest lady's itching for a fight."

Watching from the side, Ye Tianchen muttered, "Big sis is clearly bored, looking to stir up some fun for herself."

Snake Lady's face darkened. While her husband was a Soul Douluo, she herself was "only" a Soul Emperor. Yet here stood this young girl barely thirteen by the looks of her so brazenly challenging her.

Trying to suppress her anger, Snake Lady clenched her jaw. "Little girl, I hope you won't regret this."

Ye Tianxin merely smiled, glancing around. "Everyone, stand back. Don't blame me if you get caught in the crossfire."

The onlookers stepped back, clearly familiar with Ye Tianxin's strength.

"Poor Snake Lady," someone murmured.

"It's been a while since we've seen the eldest lady in action. This should be a good show."

"Snake Lady may be a higher rank, but her martial soul doesn't seem up to it."

The distant murmurs of the spectators darkened Snake Lady's expression further. "These foolish children! They don't know the first thing about the soul master world or how strong I am."

Snake Lady's demeanor grew colder as she introduced herself. "I am Chao Tianxiang, a Rank 68 assault type Soul Emperor with the Snake Staff martial soul. Don't blame me if things get rough, young one. Withdraw your challenge now, and I'll let you take the Phoenix Tailed Crest Serpent. After all, we owe much to Tianxing Academy; I'm willing to extend you this courtesy."

Despite her courteous tone, her aura was fierce, her six spirit rings burning brightly: two yellow, three purple, and one black.

Seeing the display, Ye Tianxin hid her scorn. Everyone in her group had higher than average ring years. But she didn't underestimate her opponent; Ye Wen had taught her to fight with full effort, or not at all.

"Ye Tianxin, Rank 45 assault type Soul Ancestor, martial soul: Blue Gold Overlord Spear. Please, teach me."

In an instant, her soul power flared. Despite her soul power being twenty ranks lower, Snake Lady's martial soul reacted with palpable fear, a response she had never felt before.

Just looking at Ye Tianxin's spirit rings sent chills down Snake Lady's spine.

Purple Purple Black Black.

A thousand year ring as her first and a ten thousand year ring as her third? What kind of monster was this girl?

And that surname...Ye. Could she be related to Master Ye Wen?

Realizing she could be facing an offspring of Ye Wen himself, Snake Lady quickly steeled herself. She couldn't afford to make a fool of herself.

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