"You misunderstand, Senior Dragon Duke," Su Yu approached slowly, his tone calm.
"Forgive my bluntness, but this Human-faced Demon Spider isn't actually suitable for your granddaughter."
"What nonsense are you talking!"
Before Dragon Duke and Serpent Woman could speak, Meng Yiran retorted first, glaring at Su Yu with flushed cheeks from excitement:
"This Human-faced Demon Spider contains potent Toxin and is over a thousand years old, perfectly matching my Martial Soul. How could it not be suitable?"
Serpent Woman Chao Tianxiang looked at Su Yu with a complex expression before speaking:
"Su Yu, I remember the favor when you previously advised Yiran about which Soul Ring would suit her."
"But this Human-faced Demon Spider's Toxin attribute matches Yiran perfectly, and its age is just right for her Soul Power Level!"
"If you've come to seize it, then this old woman can only exchange a few moves with you!"
Though Dragon Duke remained silent, his frown deepened, and Soul Power fluctuations subtly emanated from him, clearly displeased with Su Yu's doubts.
Su Yu paid no mind to their hostility, instead crouching down and pointing at the dying Human-faced Demon Spider on the ground as he explained slowly:
"The Human-faced Demon Spider's Toxin is indeed domineering and Yin-cold, matching Miss Meng Yiran's Martial Soul—I don't deny that."
"But the problem lies in this spider's age not being suitable for Miss Meng Yiran."
"Seniors, please take a closer look at its legs." Su Yu pointed at the spider's eight thick, long limbs.
"An ordinary thousand-year Human-faced Demon Spider has legs no longer than 2.5 meters, but this one's legs exceed 3 meters—a characteristic of two-thousand-year Soul Beasts."
Seeing Dragon Duke and Serpent Woman's doubtful expressions, he pointed at the spider's abdomen:
"And look at the fur on its abdomen. Ordinary thousand-year demon spiders have short, sparse fur no longer than three inches. Observe this one."
"This Human-faced Demon Spider's fur is not only dense but exceeds five inches in length, with roots showing a faint purple-black hue—this marks its breakthrough to two thousand years of age."
Dragon Duke and Serpent Woman exchanged glances and hurried forward to examine it closely.
Sure enough, as Su Yu had said, this Human-faced Demon Spider's legs and abdominal fur far exceeded the characteristics of ordinary thousand-year Soul Beasts.
Meng Yiran also moved closer, her stubborn expression gradually turning to astonishment. She had been too excited earlier to notice these details.
Serpent Woman's face changed slightly as she murmured, "No wonder it felt more difficult to restrain than expected earlier..."
Dragon Duke's frown slowly eased, his gaze toward Su Yu becoming more solemn: "Are you saying this is a Human-faced Demon Spider approaching two thousand years?"
"Exactly. For Miss Meng Yiran to absorb her third Soul Ring, the age should be under 1,700 years for maximum safety!"
"If she forcibly absorbs this nearly two-thousand-year Soul Ring, there's a high probability she'll suffer Soul Ring backlash—lightly resulting in severe injuries, heavily leading to complete loss of cultivation."
These words poured cold water on Meng Yiran's excitement.
She stared at the Human-faced Demon Spider, her face pale—she had nearly caused a disaster through her carelessness.
Serpent Woman Chao Tianxiang also felt retrospective fear, her eyes showing more gratitude toward Su Yu:
"Thank you for the reminder, young friend Su Yu. If you hadn't pointed this out, this old woman would have nearly harmed Yiran."
Dragon Duke also said solemnly: "This old man was careless earlier. I, Meng Shu, will remember this favor."
Seeing the shift in Dragon Duke's eyes, Su Yu seized the opportunity to speak:
"Dragon Duke, since this Human-faced Demon Spider is indeed of no use to Miss Meng Yiran, I'd like to propose a trade."
"A trade?" Dragon Duke raised an eyebrow, gesturing for him to continue.
"Indeed."
Su Yu nodded, his gaze shifting to the still somewhat dazed Meng Yiran beside them.
"I can help Miss Meng Yiran find a snake-type Soul Beast with toxic attributes, between fifteen hundred and seventeen hundred years old, in exchange for this Human-faced Demon Spider. How about it?"
At these words, both Dragon Duke and Serpent Woman were taken aback.
Finding Soul Beasts was no easy task, especially one so precisely matched in age and attributes like a toxic snake-type Soul Beast. Such opportunities were rare and unpredictable.
They had already spent many days wandering through this forest searching for a suitable Soul Ring for Meng Yiran.
After much effort, their family of three had encountered both the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent and the Human-faced Demon Spider, yet neither was suitable for Meng Yiran.
Serpent Woman spoke first, her tone tinged with skepticism: "Are you confident?"
"This Star Dou Forest is vast. Finding such a specific Soul Beast is easier said than done."
Su Yu's expression revealed complete confidence. "Serpent Woman, I have a unique method, though it's not something I can disclose!"
Dragon Duke and Serpent Woman exchanged glances, both seeing mutual interest in each other's eyes.
After all, this Human-faced Demon Spider was useless to them. Even if Su Yu failed to find one, they wouldn't lose anything!
If he succeeded, that would be ideal!
"Very well." Dragon Duke pondered briefly before making a decision.
"I'll trust you this once. If you can truly find a suitable Soul Beast for Yiran, this Human-faced Demon Spider is yours."
Su Yu nodded: "It's settled then."
Su Yu vanished from his spot, instantly spreading his Kagura Mind's Eye. His Soul Power spread like an invisible net, enveloping the dense forest for dozens of miles around.
The fluctuations of Soul Power circulated within his perception, leaving no trace of any Soul Beast's aura hidden.
Within moments, he had locked onto the traces of five or six snake-type Soul Beasts, though some were under fifteen hundred years old.
Others had toxin attributes that slightly deviated from Meng Yiran's Martial Soul, making them less than perfect.
Su Yu patiently continued his search. Before long, his Kagura Mind's Eye detected a powerful toxin fluctuation.
A Taipan Serpent! According to his senses, its Soul Power age was exactly sixteen hundred years—the most suitable choice for Meng Yiran.
Without hesitation, he shifted his position and appeared beside the rocky crevice where the Taipan Serpent was hiding.
The serpent was emerald green all over, its scales shimmering with a dark glow. Seeing Su Yu suddenly appear, the Taipan Serpent bared its fangs and lunged to bite him.
Not wanting to waste time, Su Yu flicked his fingers slightly. Wood Release coiled up like a spirit snake, firmly binding the Taipan Serpent's body.
He didn't deliver a fatal blow, merely using Wood Release to drain the Soul Power from its body, leaving it with just a breath of life.
On the other side, Dragon Duke and his family of three were patiently waiting when they suddenly felt a gust of wind above them. A black shadow thudded to the ground in front of them.
The three focused their gaze and saw it was a barely breathing Taipan Serpent, its emerald scales still stained with mud.
Before they could react, Su Yu descended from the sky, landing steadily on the Taipan Serpent. He looked down at the three:
"Dragon Duke, this is a sixteen-hundred-year-old Taipan Serpent with potent toxic attributes, highly compatible with Miss Meng's Martial Soul."
Dragon Duke stroked his white beard, a flicker of approval in his eyes, and nodded:
"Excellent. With such a suitable Soul Beast, that Human-faced Demon Spider is yours."
With that, he threw the Human-faced Demon Spider to Su Yu.
Subsequently, Dragon Duke signaled Serpent Woman to take Meng Yiran to absorb the Taipan Serpent's Soul Ring, while he himself remained on the spot.