One Soul Ring, Two Soul Skills; Taming a Mount: Sky-Hunting Eagle

Time slipped quietly by without anyone noticing.

Nearly half an hour had passed in the outside world, but Lin Yan's consciousness remained in a void.

He couldn't remember how long he had held on, nor did he know how much longer he would have to endure. He knew only that he couldn't give up, no matter what.

Little of his original Soul Power remained, and it was beginning to prove insufficient against the next onslaught of energy.

"Damn it, how much longer is this going to take?!"

In the void, no one could answer him.

Lin Yan was like a lone soldier without support, facing an endless army all by himself.

"No! I can't give up!"

"I've endured every day and night for years. I absolutely can't drop the chain at this crucial moment."

"I'm determined to make a thousand-year Soul Ring my first!"

"Behave yourself!"

With his Soul Power exhausted, Lin Yan gritted his teeth and relied on sheer willpower to hold out until the last trace of the Soul Ring's energy had fully merged into his meridians.

In an instant...

All the foreign Soul Power transformed into Lin Yan's own.

His depleted meridians were replenished, and the force of his presence surged. Lin Yan's aura suddenly surged all around him.

Level 11, level 12...

Only when he reached the middle of level 13 did the surge of energy finally begin to weaken.

In the end, having successfully absorbed the Soul Ring, Lin Yan reached the late stage of level 13.

The next second, the boy sitting cross-legged in the clearing snapped his eyes open. He closed his hands around empty air, and the Calamity Fire Thunderclap Sword burst into brilliant light.

Scorching heat intertwined with arcs of lightning, whipping up fierce winds all around him.

"I did it!"

The dean of Notting, who had remained at Lin Yan's side the entire time, beamed with joy. His already clenched fists tightened until they creaked.

"You finally did it!"

"Lin Yan, you successfully absorbed a thousand-year Soul Ring as your first."

At that moment, the dean of Notting was even more excited than Lin Yan himself.

Lin Yan had an assault-type Sword Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power! If his wings had been clipped under the dean's care, the dean would have been a sinner for all time.

Fortunately, Lin Yan had succeeded!

As soon as Lin Yan regained consciousness, he sensed the information about his Soul Skills in his mind.

[First Soul Skills: Flame Phoenix Scorches the Clouds! Awakening of Insects Formation-Breaking Melody!]

[Flame Phoenix Scorches the Clouds: Flip forward and leap, using a Susanoo arm to swat the target away. Upon landing, follow up with a horizontal slash from the Tribulation Flame Sword.]

[Awakening of Insects Formation-Breaking Melody: Plunge the Thunderclap Sword into the ground and use the momentum to turn and reposition, then attack the target ahead with Chidori Sharp Spear.]

"Just as I thought!"

"The Tribulation Flame Sword and the Thunderclap Sword each correspond to a skill. My guess was right after all."

Lin Yan's voice was filled with delight.

The dean of Notting was even more excited upon hearing this, stumbling over his words.

"Good! Wonderful!"

"One Soul Ring, two skills. That's already comparable to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring."

"An ordinary person would explode and die from absorbing even a five-hundred-year Soul Ring, but you actually succeeded in absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring as your first!"

"Do you know? I was certain you would fail just now. I was already prepared to interrupt your absorption of the Soul Ring."

Seeing the dean even more excited than himself, Lin Yan smiled along with him.

"Haha~"

"Dean, it's a good thing you didn't do that, or I would've been in trouble."

Hearing this, the dean of Notting patted Lin Yan on the shoulder. A few glistening tears flashed in his eyes as he said,

"You child! You'll surely achieve great things one day."

"I said it!"

The two stood facing each other.

Lin Yan's youthful little face was bright with the joy of gaining powerful Soul Skills, while pride shone in the dean of Notting's eyes as he shared in Lin Yan's glory.

It was a harmonious scene.

But just as the two were immersed in their joy, a piercing eagle cry suddenly rang out from the sky.

Screech!

They looked up and saw a huge brown eagle with a wingspan of nearly five meters circling overhead, its gaze fixed on Lin Yan.

"Careful, it's a three-thousand-year Sky-Rending Eagle!"

The dean of Notting braced himself for a formidable enemy and immediately used Martial Soul Possession, ready to fight it.

"That beast can fly! Lin Yan, I'll hold it off. Hurry toward the edge of the forest, and don't look back!"

The little middle-aged man looked ready to face death with courage, as though even he wasn't confident he could escape unscathed from such a giant eagle.

There was no helping it. Flying Soul Beasts were widely regarded as the most troublesome opponents in the soul world. Only a flying Soul Master of the same realm could fight one on even terms.

If anyone else encountered one, they could only have their strength worn down by its repeated aerial attacks.

The dean of Notting had clearly prepared himself to make a sacrifice this time.

"Lin Yan, run! Don't look back."

The little man said no more. He merely kept his eyes fixed on the Sky-Hunting Eagle and shielded Lin Yan with his body.

"Dean, please go easy on it."

"My spiritual power is different from ordinary people's. I can sense that this fellow doesn't mean me any harm."

At those words, the dean of Notting's expression went blank for a moment.

"You can read its thoughts? Are you sure?"

"Soul Beasts aren't like humans. They turn hostile faster than you can turn a page, and they love nothing more than eating humans."

"Especially children like you who have only just awakened their Martial Souls."

Lin Yan nodded!

The Sharingan had granted him powerful spiritual power, and he really could sense the Sky-Hunting Eagle's vague thoughts now.

"Dean, its child died in that Saber-Toothed Tiger's jaws, but it wasn't strong enough to take revenge. It's showing us goodwill now because it wants to thank us for killing the Saber-Toothed Tiger and avenging it."

"Dean, I want to keep it. May I?"

Evening.

The dying sun was red as blood, reflecting a fiery crimson across the horizon.

A huge brown eagle soared above the Soul Hunting Forest with its wings spread. A closer look revealed two figures sitting on its back.

"Dean, see? I told you it was really obedient."

Lin Yan gently stroked the giant eagle's back, while the dean of Notting looked astonished.

"I never thought it would actually listen to you. This is incredible."

Since ancient times, Soul Beasts and humans had been as incompatible as fire and water.

Soul Masters needed to hunt Soul Beasts for their Soul Rings, while humans who had awakened their Martial Souls were likewise excellent supplements in the mouths of Soul Beasts.

Whenever the two met, one side was bound to die.

Yet Lin Yan had actually managed to tame a Soul Beast as a mount!

"You really have created a lot of miracles, kid."

On the eagle's back, the two chatted on and off.

After a day full of rewards, Lin Yan wore a smile on his face the entire time, and the dean of Notting was beaming too.

The sun sank in the west, and the night deepened.

Just as they were about to fly out of the Soul Hunting Forest, Lin Yan suddenly pointed down with his little hand and said,

"Huh?"

"I think that's Grandmaster and his student down there."

The dean of Notting looked where Lin Yan was pointing and indeed saw two bedraggled figures fleeing.

More than a dozen wolf-type Soul Beasts were chasing relentlessly behind them.

Clearly, the master and disciple were running for their lives.

"It really is them!"

"They're facing a pack of Hundred-Year Gale Wolves. It looks rather dangerous."

"Can you get the Sky-Hunting Eagle to descend a little? Grandmaster has been a friend of mine for many years. I need to go help them."

Hearing this, Lin Yan calmly curled his lips.

"Dean, let me try!"

"This is just the chance to test the power of my first Soul Skill."

"You?"

"That's a pack of hundred-year wolves. You can't handle them alone."

"If you really want to test your Soul Skill's power, I'll spar with you myself later. Don't try to be a hero this time."