"What do you want to ask?"
Ye Renxin sat back in his chair, holding his teacup, and looked at Dai Chengfeng as he spoke.
"Anything I know, I can tell you."
Dai Chengfeng nodded and narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed at Ye Renxin. "Elder Ye Renxin, I don't understand why you've chosen me and Ye Lingling to kill the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear?"
"With your strength as a Soul Douluo, couldn't you simply injure the bear first, then let Ye Lingling deliver the final blow? That would greatly increase the chances of success."
"Wouldn't that be more reliable?"
Hearing this, Ye Renxin gently stroked his beard, not answering immediately but instead calmly countered, "Chengfeng, do you think thousand-year soul beasts possess some level of intelligence?"
"They certainly do," Dai Chengfeng replied without hesitation.
After all, no one understood this better than him…
Especially when he forcibly absorbed the second soul ring from the 1,500-year-old Imperial Blood Tiger, he could clearly feel the tiger's unwillingness to die.
But after answering, Dai Chengfeng suddenly furrowed his brow slightly.
He seemed to understand the significance of Ye Renxin's question.
Seeing this, Ye Renxin's lips curved into a faint smile. "You might have guessed."
"That's right—this is the reason!"
"The Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear is a powerful, violent, and prideful soul beast that deeply values strength."
"If it's killed by a powerful soul master, there's almost no chance of it dropping a soul bone, let alone an extremely rare external soul bone."
"But if it's defeated by someone weaker, the situation changes…"
"I speculate that this could significantly increase the chances of obtaining an external soul bone from the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear."
At this point, Ye Renxin paused. "As I mentioned earlier, the ones I've located are all thousand-year-level Dark Golden Terror Claw Bears."
"Generally speaking, they require a Soul Master of at least Rank 30 to handle."
"Considering how powerful the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear is, achieving a victory against overwhelming odds won't be easy."
For a moment, his tone carried a hint of regret. "Initially, I considered choosing Yu Tianheng from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"But eventually, I realized that even Yu Tianheng couldn't possibly defeat a thousand-year-level Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear."
"So, I had already prepared myself to step in personally, allowing Lingling to deliver the final blow, even if it meant gaining nothing in return."
"I see."
Dai Chengfeng's mind cleared. "Now I understand why Ye Lingling didn't have an external soul bone in the original story. It seems Elder Ye Renxin's plan ultimately failed."
Ye Renxin continued explaining, though his voice carried a trace of reluctance.
"But I'm not willing to give up!"
"Lingling's martial soul is unique—it has no offensive abilities. She's too pure-hearted and kind to learn poison like I did."
"While I'm alive, I can protect her, but what if one day I'm gone? I hope she'll have the strength to protect herself."
"Therefore, an external soul bone is the best choice!"
Upon hearing her grandfather's words, Ye Lingling's eyes reddened, tears welling up.
"Grandfather…"
Her voice trembled as she called out softly, filled with gratitude and reluctance.
Ye Renxin smiled and gently ruffled Ye Lingling's hair. "Don't worry, my body's still strong. I'll be with you for at least a few more decades."
Then, Ye Renxin turned to look at Dai Chengfeng again. "Until that night, I saw you!"
Ye Renxin's eyes suddenly brightened, filled with admiration.
"Honestly, that spear strike that night left me utterly amazed!"
"I consider myself someone who's seen many young prodigies, but even compared to Yu Tianheng, you surpass them all by far."
"Therefore, you are my last hope."
With that, Ye Renxin stood up, his posture upright and gaze sharp. "Now, young friend Chengfeng, do you have any more questions?"
Hearing this, Dai Chengfeng slowly shook his head. "No."
"I agree to your request!"
"I have a question!"
Just as Dai Chengfeng finished speaking, Zhu Fan suddenly interrupted.
Dai Chengfeng turned to look at his uncle. Zhu Fan chuckled and then addressed Ye Renxin, "Master Ye, that's an external soul bone we're talking about—an incredibly precious existence!"
"You're choosing two strangers. Aren't you afraid that even if an external soul bone does drop, you won't be able to keep it?"
As he spoke, Zhu Fan shrugged slightly and spread his hands.
Hearing this, Ye Renxin's face broke into a confident smile. "Zhu Fan, don't assume that just because my martial soul is the Nine-Heart Begonia, I have no offensive power."
"Do you know? Medicine and poison are inseparable!"
"I dare say that aside from Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, no one in the world knows poisons better than I do."
As he spoke, Ye Renxin turned to look at Dai Chengfeng again. "And!"
"The character of the Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Chengfeng, is something this old man acknowledges."
"Everyone says the Fourth Prince acts recklessly… For the sake of just a few thousand soldiers' lives, he defied the Spirit Hall's prohibition and secretly led troops to attack Wu Ping City, ruining diplomatic ties between Tian Dou and Star Luo—a foolish act indeed!"
"But what I see is the spirit of a true man!"
"The fiery spirit of youth, forging bonds across capitals, with courage and loyalty that make one's hair stand on end. In conversation, life and death are shared, and a promise made is worth a thousand in gold!"
"A prince who can utter such words is worthy of my trust!"
"A promise worth a thousand in gold!"
With that—
Ye Renxin turned to Zhu Fan. "Is this reason enough?"
Zhu Fan smirked proudly and glanced at Dai Chengfeng. "Your Highness, I didn't expect that even the Saint Physician of the Tian Dou Empire knows your name."
Dai Chengfeng chuckled.
He had anticipated being recognized by Ye Renxin, especially since his White Tiger martial soul had briefly appeared while practicing spear techniques that night. Though it was only a fleeting moment—
Ye Lingling, with her weaker abilities, might not have noticed.
But Ye Renxin, a Soul Douluo, surely wouldn't miss it.
Thus, Ye Renxin revealing his identity didn't surprise him at all.
What surprised him, however, was that Ye Renxin remembered a line he'd spoken.
Thinking of this, Dai Chengfeng gave Ye Renxin a slight bow. "Since Elder Ye trusts me so much, I, Dai Chengfeng, will not betray your trust. I wish us both success in obtaining the external soul bone."
It was only at this moment that Ye Lingling finally realized.
She covered her mouth in shock, unable to believe it. "You… you're actually the Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Chengfeng?!"
"Do you know how famous you are in our Tian Dou Academy?"
"Your words… so many people admire them!"
"Miss Ye, you've been calling him 'Chengfeng' all this time and didn't even realize my lord's identity?"
Zhu Fan teased Ye Lingling with a chuckle.
"I thought… I thought his name was just Chengfeng… who would've known…"
As she spoke, excitement flickered in Ye Lingling's eyes.
Dai Chengfeng merely smiled, not minding much.
Then, he turned to Ye Renxin. "Elder Ye, when do we depart?"
Ye Renxin looked toward the window, where the sun still shone brightly in the sky.
After a brief pause, he said, "Let's set out three days from now—it'll be most suitable."
"After all, you've just arrived in Tian Dou City. These few days will allow you to adjust your condition and prepare the necessary items."
Dai Chengfeng nodded in agreement, already beginning to calculate how to maximize his combat ability within these three days.
"At the moment, I'm lacking a proper weapon…"
"I'll visit that blacksmith shop on the street later and see if I can find a good spear!"
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