"Haah... haah... Is it finally over?"
Su Zui plopped down on the ground, panting heavily without a shred of dignity.
A breeze blew past, making Su Zui shiver. His back was already soaked with cold sweat.
"Damn it, what the hell is all this? I was kicked out of my home this morning, and now a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast tried to kill me tonight. Other people get to enjoy a happy birthday with their families, so how did mine turn into a challenge of the impossible?"
"But I think I really did kill a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and this is a genuine Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring! Wahahaha... Just when the mountains and rivers seemed to leave no path, beyond the shady willows and bright flowers lay another village!"
Caught between overwhelming grief and joy, Su Zui threw back his head and howled. At that moment, he rather resembled Li Bai, the Immortal Poet.
He slew a man every ten steps, and left no trace across a thousand miles!
But once his excitement faded, a very practical problem confronted Su Zui.
This was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring! Even if it had only just reached ten thousand years, could he really absorb it as he was now?
Although Su Zui's physique was indeed strong and he had Twin Martial Souls, this was still a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
In the entire history of the Douluo Continent, no one had ever absorbed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as their third Soul Ring.
If he really forced himself to absorb it, his body would very likely burst apart, killing him on the spot.
But if he had to give it up, he really couldn't accept it!
A Soul Ring took one hour to dissipate, which meant he had to make his decision within that time.
Su Zui could clearly sense the Great Luo Sword Embryo trembling slightly. It was a longing from the depths of its soul.
If he really absorbed this Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, his strength would definitely undergo an earth-shaking transformation.
But the two problems of Soul Shock and his body breaking apart stood before him like mountains.
He was the young master of Spirit Hall, with boundless prospects. There really was no need to take this risk. Even without this Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, he would surely reach the pinnacle of the entire Douluo Continent one day.
Even so, the longing in Su Zui's heart kept him from simply turning around and leaving.
It wasn't just Su Zui. At that very moment, Ghost Leopard Douluo, up in the tree, was also prepared to intervene at any time.
There was no way he could allow the young master to absorb this Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
Spirit Hall had powerful experts in abundance, and the older generation wasn't dead yet. There was no need for a child to risk his life to grow stronger.
Clear Sky Sect: Who the fuck are you taking a jab at?
Su Zui was still staring blankly at the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring before him. He could clearly feel his Great Luo Sword Embryo vibrating more and more violently.
Su Zui swallowed and gave two dry chuckles.
"Heh heh... Wait, bro, you can't be serious, can you? You want me to absorb this Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring? Do you think I've lived a little too long? Last time, you had me absorb that Thousand-Year Soul Ring and it nearly killed me. Now you're going straight to ten thousand years? Are you hell-bent on getting me killed?"
Hearing Su Zui's somewhat dejected words, the Great Luo Sword Embryo grew displeased and sent out wave after wave of sword light in protest.
"What? You say I'm the worst host you've ever had? Come on, you're a Martial Soul, and now you're trying to PUA me? What do you mean, your previous hosts were all Immortal Emperors? Bullshit!"
Su Zui hadn't read many web novels in his previous life and didn't know what realm an Immortal Emperor was, but it sounded badass, all right.
Su Zui stared blankly at the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring before him. In the end, he withdrew the hand he had reached out.
"Damn it. Out of sight, out of mind. I'd better get going. This Soul Ring isn't something I can absorb."
As Su Zui spoke, he started to leave.
"Meow~"
Just as Su Zui was about to leave, a faint meow suddenly reached his ears.
As a Soul Master, Su Zui immediately went on guard. Holding the Great Luo Sword Embryo, he looked toward the source of the sound.
Behind a large mushroom twenty meters in front of Su Zui, a fluffy little kitty was watching him warily.
The kitten was less than half a meter long, but it was a genuine thousand-year Soul Beast.
Su Zui seriously suspected that she had put all her cultivation into cuteness.
How could there be such an adorable little kitty? It looked a lot like a calico cat from Su Zui's previous life, only softer and cuter, with a silver crescent-moon pattern on its forehead.
Su Zui recognized the cat as a Silvermoon Spirit Cat, one of the few feline Soul Beasts with a healing attribute.
But this kind of Soul Beast was extremely rare, so how had he come across one?
"Meow~"
The little kitty meowed again. It looked a little frightened, but for some reason, it didn't run away from him.
Su Zui was a devoted cat lover who had almost no resistance to hakimi, especially one this cute. It was no exaggeration to call her a fairy sister of the cat world.
As Su Zui approached, the little kitty immediately meowed at him twice, then ran ahead.
After a couple of steps, she stopped, turned around, and meowed at Su Zui twice.
"Is she... asking me to follow her?"
Su Zui hadn't expected the little kitty to be so smart, and immediately followed her.
However, after only a few steps, the little kitty stopped.
Puzzled, Su Zui looked past the kitten. Something seemed to be approaching through the grass.
What was more, its presence was terrifying, no weaker than that of the Xuanming Ghost Tiger from before.
Su Zui didn't dare be careless. He hurriedly summoned the Great Luo Sword Embryo, then looked at the little kitty with worry on his face.
"Pspsps, come here, quick! There's danger ahead!"
But the little kitty didn't listen to Su Zui. Instead, she vanished into the grass ahead.
Su Zui immediately frowned. The Great Luo Sword Embryo in his hand seemed to sense its master's concern and let out a clear sword cry.
Just as Su Zui was about to step forward, the grass ahead parted of its own accord. Then a big cat over a meter tall at the shoulder emerged, with the little kitty lying on her back.
"Whew..."
Su Zui breathed a sigh of relief. So it was the little kitty's family. He had thought she was in danger.
But when Su Zui got a clear look at the big cat, his heart clenched again.
The big cat's entire abdomen had been torn open, leaving a mangled mess of flesh and blood. Worse, a force of Xuanming inside her was constantly eating away at her body.
Clearly, the wounds on her body had been inflicted by the Xuanming Ghost Tiger.
Although her cultivation was close to fifty thousand years, she was a healing-type Soul Beast, and her combat strength was no match for the ten-thousand-year Xuanming Ghost Tiger.
After all, even a high-level Battle Soul Emperor could be hunted down and killed by a Xuanming Ghost Tiger.
If the healing power in her body had not been constantly treating her wounds, she would have been dead already.
The flame of her life had grown as faint as a candle, ready to flicker out at any moment. Unless a Soul Master with the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul was here, there was simply no power to turn the heavens back.
Su Zui looked at the big cat in front of him and sighed helplessly.
"Ah... I want to save you too, but I'm not a healing-type Soul Master. How could I save you?"
Then Su Zui boldly walked up to her and stroked her head.
"But I killed that Xuanming Ghost Tiger just now and avenged you. You can rest in peace now."