Balance Mark
"Understood!"
Hu Liena, Ling Yuan Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and the others all said they had no objections.
After all, whether it was self-condensing Soul Rings, a ten-thousand-year First Soul Ring, or the near-miraculous Soul Skill that brought a dead Soul Beast back to life, each was enough to shake the world!
To protect Qian Guxing, swearing an oath on their Martial Souls was a necessary precaution.
Qian Guxing didn't mind either way.
As for backing from above, he had the Five Great God Kings watching over him.
As for support on the Douluo Continent, he had Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu, and the entire Spirit Hall behind him.
It could be said that as long as Qian Guxing didn't stubbornly go and challenge a Titled Douluo one-on-one, virtually no one could directly threaten him.
Thus, even if the effect of his First Soul Ring got out, it wouldn't affect Qian Guxing in the slightest.
A powerful background meant plenty of confidence!
Qian Guxing's gaze returned to Ah Rou.
Ah Rou had now been resurrected, with combat strength equivalent to a ten-thousand-year Soft Bone Charm Rabbit.
But as a former Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Ah Rou had retained both Teleportation and Invincible Golden Body.
With those two Soul Skills, Ah Rou was an exceptionally useful frontline tank. When danger struck, she could use Teleportation and activate Invincible Golden Body to take hits for Qian Guxing, giving him a chance to strike back.
As for the Soul Beast Evolution Illustrated Guide he had received as a reward for resurrecting Ah Rou, Qian Guxing hadn't claimed it yet, since Bibi Dong and the others were still present. He sat down cross-legged and said to Bibi Dong:
"Teacher, I need to condense my Second Soul Ring next. Sorry to trouble you all to stand guard for me again."
Bibi Dong's expression was complicated. Other Soul Masters had to pour countless efforts into finding a suitable Soul Ring, but Qian Guxing could simply condense his own.
It was enough to make other Soul Masters' eyes turn red with envy.
After speaking to Bibi Dong, Qian Guxing summoned his Ancient Tree of Nature Martial Soul once more, resonating with the power of nature throughout the Star Dou Great Forest.
The power of nature surged toward Qian Guxing in waves. His Second Soul Ring condensed, its color changing from white to yellow, then from yellow to purple in the blink of an eye!
After a mere dozen or so minutes, the purple had completely transformed into black.
The Second Soul Ring's age was still twelve thousand years.
After all, Qian Guxing had Innate Level 20 Soul Power, and he hadn't obtained his First Soul Ring by hunting a Soul Beast, but had condensed it himself. As a result, his physical strength hadn't changed noticeably.
And after condensing his Second Soul Ring,
Qian Guxing broke through without a hitch, reaching level twenty-two.
"If I'd hunted Soul Beasts and absorbed their Soul Rings, I reckon I could have gone straight to level twenty-five, or even twenty-six."
Qian Guxing did the math in his head, but didn't feel much regret.
The only downside to self-condensing Soul Rings was missing out on the physical tempering and increase in Soul Power that came from absorbing Soul Rings.
But the benefits were obvious: a self-condensed Soul Ring was perfectly suited to its owner and wouldn't contaminate the Martial Soul Origin. It was far better than absorbing an external Soul Ring.
Besides, Qian Guxing had the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art to cultivate his physique and the Everlasting Spring Art to cultivate his Soul Power. He didn't care about the small boost from absorbing Soul Rings.
When Qian Guxing opened his eyes, Bibi Dong and the others all looked over.
Having witnessed the power of Qian Guxing's First Soul Skill, they were all quite curious about what his Second Soul Skill could do.
Qian Guxing smiled and wasted no words. With a slight thought, his Second Soul Ring flashed, and pale green power spread in every direction, forming a spherical space a hundred meters across.
A domain-type skill!
Bibi Dong and the others could clearly feel their Soul Power and stamina recovering, while all their attributes received a certain boost!
"As you can see, my Second Soul Ring's Soul Skill is called Nature Domain. Once deployed, it continuously restores the Soul Power and stamina of allied units, continually heals their injuries, and increases all their attributes by 20%!
"Enemy units suffer the opposite effect: their Soul Power and stamina are continuously drained, and all their attributes are reduced by 20%!"
After hearing Qian Guxing describe his Soul Skill's effects, Hu Liena's little mouth hung wide open, her beautiful eyes full of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Was he leaving any way for other Soul Masters to survive?
His First Soul Skill was Nature Contract, which allowed him to become an army unto himself and assemble a Soul Beast legion.
His Second Soul Skill was a domain that could provide buffs over a wide area and weaken opponents over a wide area.
Both Soul Skills could be called monstrous!
Hu Liena thought about her own First and Second Soul Skills and felt she couldn't compare to Qian Guxing at all.
What Hu Liena didn't know, however, was that Qian Guxing had concealed one effect of his Second Soul Skill, called Balance Mark.
Enemy units within the domain would continuously accumulate Balance Mark stacks. Once the stacks reached their maximum,
enemies lower in level than Qian Guxing would immediately lose ten Soul Power levels.
Enemies higher in level than Qian Guxing would have their Soul Power Level reduced to his.
The effect lasted ten seconds!
The number of Balance Mark stacks depended on the difference in level between the opponent and Qian Guxing.
With this skill, Qian Guxing finally had a way to turn the tables and kill a Titled Douluo.
As long as he stalled for enough time to stack Balance Mark to its maximum on his opponent, even a Titled Douluo would be reduced directly to Qian Guxing's level.
And among those of the same rank, Qian Guxing could be said to be invincible!
Balance Mark's effect was somewhat similar to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Life and Death Arena.
However, the Life and Death Arena involved the law of time, forcibly returning both sides to the age of six.
Balance Mark, on the other hand, followed the way of natural balance, forcibly reducing the level of anyone above Qian Guxing to match his.
Qian Guxing really wanted to find someone to test the effect on, but he planned to keep Balance Mark as a trump card for turning things around in a desperate situation, so he told no one.
"Let's go. We've obtained the Soul Rings, so we'll return to Spirit City today."
After giving the order, Bibi Dong still felt that it was all a little unreal.
They had originally set out expecting to spend ten days to half a month in the wilderness, searching for two suitable Soul Beasts for Qian Guxing.
But who could have imagined that Qian Guxing could condense his own Soul Rings, and that both would have such heaven-defying effects?
They had accomplished their objective on their first day in the Star Dou Great Forest, and the Spirit Hall party departed in a grand procession.
Deep within the Lake of Life.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion watched Qian Guxing's departing figure, her eyes flickering. "Next time, I'll definitely go with you."
Having witnessed the fortune surrounding Qian Guxing, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was certain that he would one day be the person who could change the fate of the Soul Beast Clan.
At the same time, the Silver Dragon King was also roasting... no... pondering how to approach Qian Guxing.
At this very moment, the two most important beings of the Soul Beast Clan were both troubled over Qian Guxing.
In a corner of the Star Dou Great Forest, Ning Rongrong, who had been accompanying Ning Fengzhi, crouched by a stream with her little head cupped in her hands. Recalling the events of last night, her heart pounded wildly. The lawless Little Demoness was now nothing but shy and adorably demure.
Ning Fengzhi watched his daughter's lovestruck display with deep dismay, but could say nothing about it.
After all, Qian Guxing's talent really was exceptional.
Several days later.
Qian Guxing and his companions returned safely to Spirit City.
Back at the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong said to Qian Guxing:
"You've obtained your Soul Rings, so report to Spirit Hall Academy tomorrow."