Am I a mutant in soul land?

Two weeks remained until the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament.

Tang Yin had just wrapped up a session of Purple Demon Eye training with the girls when Ning Rongrong's soul power suddenly surged. A radiant light surrounded her as her aura fluctuated wildly—she had broken through to level 40.

Overjoyed, Rongrong skipped right past Zhu Zhuqing and Meng Yiran and jumped directly into Tang Yin's arms, her smile as sweet as honey.

"Finally!" she giggled, clinging to him. "I made it to level 40! Now we can go soul ring hunting for Zhuqing and Dugu Yan too!"

Zhu Zhuqing had actually reached level 40 three months earlier, but she had postponed her soul beast hunt to wait for the others. Dugu Yan was just a step away from Soul King, and Tang Yin himself had just reached level 49—just behind her. Considering the pace he was progressing, Tang Yin estimated that by the time the tournament ended, he'd be one step away from Soul King as well.

But he couldn't afford to slow down. With the looming possibility of war, he planned to accelerate his cultivation after the tournament ended.

"Yan Yan," Tang Yin said, turning to Dugu Yan, "can you let your grandpa know? We'll need his help for the soul beast hunt today."

These days, Dugu Bo mostly stayed in Lanba Academy and only rarely traveled to Tian Dou Imperial Academy or the Sunset Forest. When he'd heard Yan had reached the threshold of Soul King three months ago, he'd been ecstatic, eager to help her find a soul ring right away. But Dugu Yan had refused—she wanted to wait and hunt together with Zhuqing and Rongrong.

The girls had grown incredibly close—more like sisters than teammates. Countless shopping trips and shared "adventures" (which usually ended with Tang Yin footing the bill) had cemented their bond.

It had to be said—Tang Yin wasn't just rich; he was obscenely rich. He'd raked in over two million gold coins from Tang San's outrageously one-sided contract, squeezing every last copper out of his brother's hard work. And if that wasn't enough, he'd pocketed another three million by robbing corrupt nobles who swarmed the Tian Duo Auction for their precious "Whale Rubber."

At this point, he was richer than many high-ranking noble heirs who loved to show off their wealth. But Tang Yin had no interest in squandering his fortune.

He had a plan.

He would invest in the future—his Tang Sect, rebuilt stronger than ever, ready for the coming war. After all, where there's chaos, there's profit.

Dugu Bo hurried over to Tang Yin, his tone impatient. "Are you ready? Let's go."

Tang Yin chuckled. For someone who always acted aloof, Dugu Bo seemed more excited than even Dugu Yan about her fifth soul ring.

It was understandable. After all, the higher the cultivation, the lower the risk of death. Dugu Bo had only survived his own ordeals thanks to the miraculous Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, which evolved his martial soul. Without it, he might've died long before his own son.

Tang Yin, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Dugu Yan quickly requested leave and followed the old man into the Sunset Forest once again.

Once there, Tang Yin released his telepathy, his enhanced mental power sweeping across the forest. It didn't take long to locate two suitable soul beasts—one for Zhuqing, one for Rongrong. Both were high-aged & promising.

Without hesitation, Tang Yin grabbed Zhuqing and Rongrong and sped past Dugu Bo in a blur of motion. The old man didn't even protest.

Everyone had their secrets—but what Dugu Bo couldn't understand was…

"Why does this brat always bring me along?" he grumbled. "What am I? His bodyguard? Hmph! Next time he asks, I'll outright reject him!"

Dugu Yan stifled a laugh as her grandfather continued his sulky muttering.

Meanwhile, Tang Yin casually dispatched two millennia-old soul beasts on their way as soul power reserves and soon arrived at the clearing where the two he'd chosen awaited. A graceful Light Feather Butterfly for Ning Rongrong, and a sleek, stealthy Phantom Tiger for Zhuqing.

"It's so cute," Ning Rongrong whispered, staring at the butterfly's glowing wings. "Tang Yin… can we not kill it?"

Before Tang Yin could respond, Zhuqing cut in, her voice pragmatic. "Amplification-type soul beasts are rare. It's already hard enough to find one suited for you. Don't make it harder for him, Rongrong."

Rongrong huffed and stomped her foot. "Hmph! I know that. I just wanted to see what Tang Yin would do. You ruined it, Zhuqing!" She jabbed a finger at her teammate.

Tang Yin grinned and patted her head. "Don't make trouble, little witch. That mischievous habit of yours is hard to fix."

Rongrong snorted. "Troublesome? Didn't you say you like my lively personality? Tell me again, Tang Yin!" she demanded, giving his foot a light stomp.

Thanks to his energy absorption ability, Tang Yin didn't feel a thing.

He smirked. "Hmm? Was that a massage, Rongrong?"

Ning Rongrong suddenly lunged at Tang Yin, aiming to tackle him in a surprise ambush.

Unfortunately for her, Tang Yin casually sidestepped, hands still in his pockets. She ended up grabbing nothing but air and flopped onto the ground with a dramatic thud.

He looked down at her with a sigh. "Rongrong… your speed's slower than a turtle, Are you sure you are practicing the movement technique I taught you?"

Rongrong stayed on the ground, making a teary, exaggerated pout. "You big bully! You let me fall!" she accused.

Tang Yin arched a brow and smirked. "Oh? Now it's my fault? Next time, make sure not to tackle air, alright?"

"Hmph! I don't need your help!" she pouted, slapping away the hand he offered.

Zhuqing chuckled softly before reaching down and pulling Rongrong up. "Honestly, how do you still fall for that every time?"

Rongrong grumbled, brushing leaves off her skirt. "Next time, I'm going to catch him for real! Just wait!" she warned, pointing at him.

Tang Yin just gave her a smug smile. "Looking forward to it, little witch."

With the two beasts subdued by Tang Yin's Telepathy, he siphoned some of his reserve soul power into them, pushing their ages to nearly 9,000 years, and sacrificed them.

Two radiant beams of divine light burst through the forest canopy as rich purple soul rings hovered above the girls' martial souls.

Zhuqing's power surged to level 43, and Rongrong reached level 42. Both girls leapt into Tang Yin's arms, smothering him with kisses. Each clung to one of his arms, pressing him close to their chests, leaving Tang Yin basking in the affection.

But the moment was short-lived.

As they returned, Dugu Bo glared at Tang Yin like he wanted to skewer him on the spot.

Now entering the core area of Sunset Forest, they searched for Dugu Yan's fifth ring. Tang Yin focused on locating a powerful serpent-type beast—ideally around 30,000 years old—hoping to evolve her Jade Phosphorus Serpent into a higher form, like Dugu Bo's Serpent Emperor.

For hours he searched, until finally—

"Hmm?" Tang Yin paused. "A ten-thousand-year-old snake-type soul beast? That'll do nicely."

Before anyone could react, he scooped up a startled Dugu Yan and vanished in a flash of speed.

"Hey! Brat!" Dugu Bo roared behind them.

Ten kilometers away, Tang Yin arrived at a clearing. There, a massive Blood-Red Python was strangling a ferocious decade-millennium bear. The bear struggled valiantly, but the python's crushing strength prevailed.

Without hesitation, Tang Yin bombarded the python's mind with a surge of spiritual attack, rendering it brain-dead.

"Is it dead?" Dugu Yan asked, cautiously poking the snake.

"Almost. Get ready," Tang Yin replied hurriedly.

The python was around 20,000 years old. Tang Yin absorbed the bear's soul ring, then used energy conversion to infuse the python, boosting its age to 30,000.

Then he offered the enhanced beast to Dugu Yan.

Once again, divine light filled the forest as a black soul ring manifested above her martial soul. As she absorbed it, her soul power soared to level 54.

"Wha—! Level 54?!" Dugu Yan gasped. "Tang Yin, how old was that beast?! This saved me at least a year's worth of cultivation!"

Overwhelmed, she grabbed him and pulled him into a long, passionate kiss.

Tang Yin simply waved it off. He understood better than anyone just how overpowered his ability was on the Douluo Continent. Still, Dugu Yan wouldn't stop praising him, her awe only growing the more she thought.

As they returned to the others, the love-struck atmosphere was thick in the air.

Dugu Bo's eye twitched. "You brat! Do you think this is a soul beast forest or a dating spot?! Huh?!"

He zipped past Tang Yin and grabbed Dugu Yan. "Yan Yan! Tell Grandpa—what level are you now?!"

"Grandpa!" Dugu Yan yelped, smacking his shoulder. "Put me down! I'm not a kid anymore!"

Tang Yin and the other girls laughed at the scene. Cold, haughty Dugu Yan, flustered and squirming like a child—what a rare sight.

"Yan Yan's found a boyfriend. She doesn't love Grandpa anymore…" Dugu Bo finally set her down with an exaggerated pout.

Dugu Yan rolled her eyes. "My soul level's 54, Grandpa. And please, shhh! We're still in the forest!"

Tang Yin stretched and yawned. "Let's head back before it gets dark."

As he led the group out, Dugu Bo lingered for a moment, watching Tang Yin thoughtfully. Then he sighed and turned back toward Lanba Academy.

"Whatever," he muttered. "As long as he's good to Yan Yan... I won't interfere."

...................

(Soul Ring Ability discription will be mentioned in the auxiliary chapter)