Douluo Continent: Beginning with Signing in with Yan Lingji

"Senior Snake Lady, will absorbing the spirit ring of such a venomous snake be dangerous for Yiran?" Zhao Ming frowned, suddenly recalling Dugu Bo, who had suffered immensely from the poison of his Jade Phosphor Serpent and passed it down to Dugu Yan.

However, Dugu Bo's snake martial soul was a beast-type, while Snake Lady and her granddaughter's martial souls were weapon-type, the Serpent Staff.

"You needn't worry about that. Although the Scaled Taipan Snake is highly venomous, our martial soul is a weapon-type. Simply absorbing the spirit ring won't cause us any harm." Snake Lady nodded with satisfaction. Although Zhao Ming was a bit of a flirt, he still showed concern for her granddaughter. It proved that he had a sense of responsibility and attachment. If Yiran were to be with him in the future, she wouldn't suffer much.

Hearing her explanation, Zhao Ming relaxed.

After all, even Tang San's Blue Silver Grass could absorb toxic spirit rings and spirit bones. Meng Yiran should be fine.

Dugu Bo's situation was different since he specifically cultivated using snake venom, unlike Meng Yiran.

Time passed slowly.

Beads of sweat began to form on Meng Yiran's face, her skin flushed as the energy of the spirit ring coursed through her.

The absorption process was smooth, and as the Scaled Taipan Snake's spirit ring was absorbed, her soul power surged.

She instantly broke through the bottleneck of level 31, reaching the later stages of level 31 before stopping.

Generally, absorbing a spirit ring only increased one's soul power by one level. The more her power rose, the stronger the spirit ring she had absorbed.

"It seems Yiran's absorption is going smoothly. This spirit ring should grant her a powerful soul skill," Snake Lady said, delighted.

"Of course. A spirit ring found by Zhao Ming can't possibly be mediocre," Ning Rongrong chimed in, her tone laced with a hint of jealousy.

Zhao Ming chuckled and glanced over at the three girls, only to find them all glaring at him.

Xiao Wu was relatively calm, as she was used to Zhao Ming's flirtatious nature, but Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were different. Both pouted, clearly feeling jealous.

"Ahem, looks like someone's vinegar jar has been overturned," Zhao Ming teased as he approached the three girls.

"Hmph." The three girls huffed in unison, turning their heads away from him.

Seeing this, Zhao Ming couldn't help but smirk. Even Xiao Wu, who was usually so easygoing, seemed a bit upset today. It seemed he had neglected her a bit lately, which wouldn't do.

"Alright, alright, I was just showing concern as a fellow classmate. Do I look like the kind of person who falls for every girl he meets?" Zhao Ming said with a playful grin.

"No one believes you," Zhu Zhuqing, usually quiet, shot him a sharp look.

However, hearing Zhao Ming's somewhat apologetic tone, her heart softened. After all, she wasn't truly angry. In a sense, she was the one who had intruded into Zhao Ming and Xiao Wu's relationship. Therefore, she was more accepting of Meng Yiran.

In her mind, as long as Zhao Ming cared for her, that was enough.

They simply wanted to give Zhao Ming a small warning. After all, the more girls he accepted, the less attention and affection they would receive, which naturally made them unhappy.

"Hmph, if you don't have any ulterior motives, why bring her to our academy?" Ning Rongrong said, pouting.

"You've got it all wrong. I'm just thinking about our Shrek Academy; we need one more member to qualify for the upcoming Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament. I'm doing this for the academy and our team," Zhao Ming said, feigning righteousness. His tone was so sincere that, except for Xiao Wu, even Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing seemed convinced.

"Really?" Ning Rongrong blinked her big, bright eyes.

"Of course, it's true," Zhao Ming replied with a grin.

Hearing his words, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing still looked doubtful, but considering that Shrek Academy did indeed need another member, they slowly believed him.

"What's the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

Her question shifted Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's attention, diverting them from Zhao Ming's motives. They began explaining the tournament to Xiao Wu in detail.

Since Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing came from prominent families, they had some knowledge of such things, even if they weren't intimately familiar with all the details.

Seeing the girls getting along again, Zhao Ming breathed a sigh of relief. They were still young and easy to appease. Xiao Wu, on the other hand, was the best. He felt a bit guilty for neglecting her lately. Tonight, he would make sure to pamper her properly.

His gaze returned to Meng Yiran, who was slowly finishing her absorption.

As she opened her beautiful brown eyes, a look of joy filled her face, clearly showing she had gained significant benefits.

Sensing Zhao Ming's gaze, she looked over at him with gratitude.

"How do you feel? Looks like you gained quite a bit."

"Yes, my new soul skill is called 'Taipan Venom.'"

As she spoke, Meng Yiran demonstrated her soul skill.

With soul power surging, the head of her serpent staff turned a dark green-black. Zhao Ming noticed it had transformed into a highly corrosive venom.

It was the venom of the Scaled Taipan Snake.

Under the watchful eyes of the others, Meng Yiran pressed her staff against a nearby tree.

Instantly, the area touched by her staff turned black, the life force rapidly draining from the tree.

This soul skill was undoubtedly powerful.

Imagine the damage inflicted if her staff struck an opponent with such venom. The result would be devastating.

Everyone present shared this thought, marveling at the soul skill's potency.

"Excellent, excellent! As expected of my granddaughter. With just this soul skill, you won't need to fear most ordinary Spirit Elders in the future. If your opponent doesn't notice the change in your staff, one strike could cause serious injury," Snake Lady laughed heartily.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The venomous change to the staff was subtle, and if an opponent wasn't paying close attention, they might miss it entirely. Although Meng Yiran's venom wasn't as lethal as that of the actual Scaled Taipan Snake, it was still extremely dangerous.

"Thank you, Zhao Ming," Meng Yiran said sincerely, her eyes filled with gratitude.

She fully understood the value of such a soul skill. Now, if she were to face her past self, she could easily win. With the Taipan Venom, even though she was only at level 31, she could contend with opponents at level 32 or 33.

In such a short time, her strength had transformed.

And all of it was thanks to Zhao Ming.

"No need to thank me. We're classmates, and this is what classmates do for each other," Zhao Ming waved her off. His gaze, however, lingered on Meng Yiran's alluring figure. After absorbing the spirit ring, she seemed even more radiant.

She truly was a beauty he had set his sights on.

Meng Yiran blushed under Zhao Ming's unabashed gaze. Though she had just received his help and couldn't say much, she didn't find his attention unpleasant. Instead, there was a faint joy in her heart.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.