The First Soul Ring, Totally Worth It

Xu Sheng had been searching for golden feathers the whole way.

On the way here, Du Wenhe had said they should look at whatever they found in the forest first. Soul Beasts wouldn't stand still and wait for him to pick one. But after spending two days poring over the illustrated guide, he just couldn't bear to give up on the Golden Feather Falcon.

The white wings on his back brushed against a branch, so he put them away without thinking, his eyes still scanning the bushes.

He hadn't gone much farther before he actually found one.

"Brother Shen, this!"

A tuft of pale golden down hung from a thin branch, with blood and scraps of flesh stuck beneath it. Shen Zhaolin came over for a look, slowly bent the branch down, and gazed at the canopy deeper in the forest.

"It hunts nearby. Come on, let's go take a look."

Xu Sheng hurried after him, his steps noticeably lighter.

The four followed a path deeper into the forest, gradually slowing their pace. Birdcalls occasionally sounded from the canopy. Xu Sheng couldn't see anything, but he kept feeling as though something was hiding above them.

He couldn't help looking up.

Shen Zhaolin put a hand on his shoulder, signaling for him to crouch.

Half the carcass of a small beast lay beneath a tall tree ahead. A Golden Feather Falcon perched on a branch, blood staining its beak as it preened one wing.

It was much larger than an ordinary hawk or falcon, and its talons had left deep gouges in the bark.

Xu Sheng's breathing grew shallow.

"A Golden Feather Falcon? That's the one in the guide, right?"

"That's right. The plumage, beak, and talons all match, and its crest feathers have fully grown in." Shen Zhaolin lowered his voice. "It's about three hundred and ninety years old. I've hunted this kind before. It's suitable for your first Soul Ring."

Xu Sheng took another look at those talons.

They're sharp! If he could use that power himself, close combat would be a whole different story from now on.

"It has the light attribute, and its body isn't weak either. Both its beak and talons can injure you," Shen Zhaolin said. "As for exactly what the Soul Ring can give you, we won't know until you absorb it. Du Wenhe and I will restrain it first. Wait for our signal before you move in."

Xu Sheng nodded and slowly drew his sword.

Ji Juechen moved around to the other side, gripping his iron sword. Xu Sheng lifted his chin at him, then turned his gaze back to the Golden Feather Falcon.

The two didn't even need words. Taking one side each, they watched the routes leading toward the shorter trees.

Shen Zhaolin stepped out from behind a tree.

High above, the Golden Feather Falcon jerked its head up and spread its wings, sending leaves rustling. Rather than face the enemy, it swooped straight for a gap in the trees behind it.

The next moment, the towering form of a bear appeared behind Shen Zhaolin.

He grabbed a broken branch beside him and hurled it into the air.

The branch whistled past the Golden Feather Falcon, forcing it to veer downward. Several green vines climbed the trunks and stretched between two trees in a crisscrossing net.

The Golden Feather Falcon smashed through one, only for a second to wrap around its right talon. It let out a piercing cry.

Instead of landing, it twisted sharply around and pecked at Du Wenhe.

Ji Juechen stepped diagonally forward, striking the bird's beak with his iron sword and knocking its head aside as it lunged at Du Wenhe.

This was the moment Xu Sheng had been waiting for.

He beat his wings, cleared a fallen log, and landed behind the Golden Feather Falcon's flank. Rather than stab at the thickest feathers on its chest, he drove his steel sword into the side of its neck, exposed as it turned its head, and thrust forward with both hands!

The Golden Feather Falcon shrieked and beat its wings. Xu Sheng's body jolted, but his feet had already braced against a tree root.

Shen Zhaolin pinned down its wings while Du Wenhe tightened the vines, and the force of its struggles immediately weakened.

"Got it pinned!" Shen Zhaolin shouted.

Xu Sheng drove his sword another half inch in.

The Golden Feather Falcon's talons plowed several deep furrows in the ground before it finally stopped moving.

Only then did Xu Sheng release the breath he'd been holding. He pulled out his steel sword, and blood dripped from its tip onto the grass, but he couldn't bear to look away.

A ring of yellow light slowly rose from the corpse.

Xu Sheng stared at it, forgetting to rub his hands, which were still numb from the fight.

My first Soul Ring!

Those players had been shouting in the channel about full Soul Power and top-tier Martial Souls. Of course he couldn't accept being outdone. But no matter how good a Martial Soul was, without a Soul Ring, a person would still be stuck here.

Now he was finally about to clear that hurdle!

"Wipe your hands and sit down." Shen Zhaolin handed him a cloth. "We'll keep watch around you. Focus on absorbing it."

Xu Sheng sat beneath the tree, wiped the blood from his sword hilt and palms, and circulated his Soul Power using the method he had learned earlier.

The yellow ring of light slowly descended toward him.

At first, it felt like hot water pouring into his chest. Then the heat exploded, and even the roots of the wings on his back began to ache.

Xu Sheng gritted his teeth, nearly cursing aloud.

Who said killing it meant I already had it?

This bird still has plenty of fight in it even after death!

Soul Power rampaged through his body. He didn't dare let it throw him into chaos, and did his best to guide it along the route he had practiced until it was second nature. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and the white wings on his back spread partway without his control before he slowly pressed them back.

The sounds of the forest gradually faded into the distance.

After an unknown amount of time, that unruly power finally began to flow along with his Soul Power.

The tightness in Xu Sheng's chest eased, and as he breathed, the wings on his back spread open again.

A yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet.

He opened his eyes, and the first thing he did was check his panel.

Level thirteen!

Xu Sheng looked again and nearly sprang straight up from the ground.

"Did it work?" Du Wenhe asked.

"It worked! I went straight to level thirteen!" Xu Sheng lifted his head, unable to hide the smile on his face any longer.

"Three levels in one go? Good!" Du Wenhe laughed too. "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Xu Sheng rolled his shoulders, and the pair of white wings on his back spread along with them.

"No, I've got even more energy than when we came!"

The yellow Soul Ring hovered beside him, slowly rising and falling with his breathing. He looked down at it for a while, then couldn't resist checking the level on his panel again.

That pain was worth it!

Shen Zhaolin told him to rest for a while and wait until his Soul Power stabilized before trying his First Soul Skill.

Xu Sheng finally waited until Shen Zhaolin gave him the nod. He picked out a length of deadwood nearby, lifted his steel sword, and activated the Soul Ring that had just become linked to him.

A faint crimson-gold light coated the blade.

There was no pillar of light illuminating half the forest as he'd imagined, but the sword felt entirely different in his hand.

He swung it down.

The hardwood split with the blow, leaving a clean cut across the surface.

Xu Sheng picked up the severed piece, turned it over twice for a look, then looked at his sword.

"Crimson Holy Judgment!"

The name had appeared in his perception along with the Soul Ring's power.

He grinned.

"I knew these wings weren't just for show!"

Ji Juechen took the piece of wood, felt the cut, and set the remaining length in place.

"Again."

Xu Sheng put his sword down to one side.

"Let's try something different this time."

The scorching power surged down his arm, and his knuckles gradually took on a crimson-gold glow. Xu Sheng fixed his eyes on the wood and punched!

Bang!

The wood went tumbling away and struck a tree root. A dent marked the spot where his fist had landed, and cracks extended all the way to the back.

Du Wenhe hurried over, picked it up, turned it around, and then looked at Xu Sheng's hand.

"You can apply it to both weapons and your fists and feet?"

Xu Sheng opened his hand. Light still flowed between his fingers, only gradually fading after he stopped using the Soul Skill.

"Both!"

He couldn't resist clenching his fist again.

Crimson Holy Judgment boosted both sharpness and strength. He could slash with a sword and fight up close. Now this was the Angel Martial Soul he wanted!

"Brother Shen, did you see that?"

"I did." Shen Zhaolin took the wood from Du Wenhe and rubbed it with his thumb. "That was a good choice for your first ring."

Xu Sheng's heart soared. He picked up his sword, ready to try again.

Ji Juechen stepped into the clearing beside them and raised his iron sword.

"Try it on me."

Xu Sheng blinked, then broke into a grin.

"Don't block it straight back at me. Let me put my full strength into it!"

Ji Juechen nodded and planted his feet.

The two swords collided, and the iron sword dipped slightly under the pressure. Ji Juechen turned his arm, guiding the blade to one side, but his feet shifted half a step.

Xu Sheng stared at the foot that had moved, smiling even more broadly than before.

"You stepped back! Brother Shen, you saw it, he stepped back half a step!"

"I'm not denying it." Ji Juechen looked down at his sword. "Again. Don't hold back."

Du Wenhe had been recording the changes brought by the First Soul Skill. Hearing them, he laughed too, then sat down to one side, deciding to wait until they'd had their fill of fighting before continuing his notes.

On the way back, Xu Sheng couldn't stop himself from releasing his Soul Ring, taking a look, and putting it away again.

After watching him do it three times, Du Wenhe finally asked with a laugh, "Haven't you seen enough of it yet?"

"I really haven't." Xu Sheng looked down at it again. "I used to only see other people's. They're nowhere near as pleasing to look at as my own."

Ji Juechen was walking beside him when he suddenly said, "Spar with me when we get back. I want to take on your Soul Skill."

Xu Sheng immediately turned to him. "Practice today?"

"Mm. I want to take on that power from just now one more time."

"All right, let's go after we eat!"

With his First Soul Skill to back him up, he had to be stronger than yesterday! Xu Sheng walked quickly all the way back, wishing he could be at the training ground already.

That night, the sound of clashing swords rang out at the training ground for a long time.

At first, passersby only glanced over, but when they heard metal striking metal, they couldn't help peering inside. The newcomer who had still been practicing his footwork with a wooden sword yesterday could now wrap his entire steel sword in crimson-gold light, striking the iron sword again and again until it hummed.

Han Jin came over to look and stood in the doorway for a long while.

"That's just his first ring?"

Du Wenhe handed him the half-finished record and nodded with a smile.

Xu Sheng had sharp ears and heard every word. He put a little more strength into his next strike.

Only when his Soul Power was nearly spent did he put away his sword, sit down on the steps, and take the water Ji Juechen handed him.

"Once I gain another couple of levels, I'll make you use your Soul Rings too!"

A rare hint of a smile appeared on Ji Juechen's face.

"I'll be waiting."

Xu Sheng tipped his head back to drink, feeling better the more he thought about it.

With a Soul Grandmaster already on hand to help him test his moves, he could find out on the spot how well he could fight and how much he had improved. When he grew stronger in the future, Ji Juechen would grow stronger too, saving him even the trouble of finding someone else!

That Golden Recruitment Token had been well spent!