Heavy Armor Man-Bull

Zhao Wuji led Wang Xiaofeng around in circles before finally finding a small river. It was less than ten meters wide, and the ground was covered in Soul Beast tracks. It seemed that the nearby Soul Beasts all came here to drink.

"Good. We just need to wait here for our prey."

Zhao Wuji sprinkled some Snake Repellent Powder at a downwind spot some distance away, then waited with Wang Xiaofeng for the Soul Beasts to arrive.

Waiting by the river was always agonizing, like fishing by the river—you never knew when the fish would bite.

Sunlight filtered through the dense layers of branches and leaves, scattering coin-sized patches of shimmering light across the ground.

The breeze gently brushed Wang Xiaofeng's cheeks, making him drowsy.

"Something's wrong!"

Wang Xiaofeng sensed something strange. Why had he suddenly become sleepy? With his physique, he could go days without sleep.

Wang Xiaofeng immediately realized that he had fallen for something. He just did not know whether it was an illusion or hypnosis.

"Heh, didn't expect you to struggle a little, kid."

A familiar voice came from beside his ear. Wang Xiaofeng froze for a moment. There was clearly nothing next to him.

Smack!

"That hurts!"

His head was inexplicably struck. Wang Xiaofeng clutched his head in pain, but the intense ache also pulled him free from the illusion.

"Your spiritual power isn't bad, kid. It's comparable to that of a high-level Soul Elder." Zhao Wuji suddenly appeared beside him and gave Wang Xiaofeng a compliment.

"It's all thanks to my usual training." Wang Xiaofeng grinned as he held his head.

Spiritual power sounded incredibly mystical, but willpower could also be considered a form of spiritual power. Wang Xiaofeng trained every day under Zhao Wuji's Soul Power pressure, so it counted as a way of cultivating his spiritual power.

"What's going on?" Only then did Wang Xiaofeng notice that a large number of Soul Beasts had gathered by the river. There were around a dozen of them.

"Do you see the butterfly on that Heavy Armor Man-Bull's head?" Zhao Wuji pointed at the center of the Soul Beasts, at a five-meter-tall bull that looked as though it wore a suit of armor.

Wang Xiaofeng looked carefully. There really was a Heavy Armor Man-Bull in the middle of the Soul Beasts, and it looked extremely powerful. But there was clearly nothing on its head.

"Oh, I forgot. Your spiritual power isn't strong enough to see through an illusion of this level." Zhao Wuji casually showed off, making Wang Xiaofeng rather annoyed.

Putting on an unconcerned expression, Zhao Wuji said, "That's a Dream Butterfly with a cultivation of five thousand years."

"A Dream Butterfly?" Wang Xiaofeng was shocked.

Dream Butterflies were extremely powerful spiritual-attribute Soul Beasts that could control Soul Beasts with weaker spiritual power than their own.

They were among the Soul Beasts illusion-type Soul Masters most wanted to hunt. In their eyes, they were comparable to Soul Bones.

Unfortunately, Dream Butterflies were far too powerful. Not physically powerful, but exceptionally good at escaping. Moreover, there was always a group of Soul Beasts around a Dream Butterfly, controlled by its illusions. As a result, few Soul Masters could successfully hunt one.

"Teacher Zhao, do you want the Heavy Armor Man-Bull beneath it to be my Soul Ring?"

"That's right. A Soul Beast that can serve as a Dream Butterfly's mount must have at least a thousand years of cultivation. It's hard to judge its exact age, but once we scare off the Dream Butterfly, we can see whether it's suitable."

"Dream Butterflies really are rather timid."

"Heh, little thing, how about giving me the Heavy Armor Man-Bull beneath you?" Zhao Wuji stood up from the grass, seven Soul Rings flashing around his body.

A terrifying aura instantly caught the Dream Butterfly's attention, but it realized that it did not seem capable of defeating this human.

"Guno? Guno!"

The Dream Butterfly angrily cursed at Zhao Wuji. This human was too hateful—he actually wanted to steal the Heavy Armor Man-Bull it had worked so hard to control.

Still, this human looked rather formidable. Once it evolved to ten thousand years, it would definitely come back to settle the score.

"Guno, guno!"

The Dream Butterfly said something incomprehensible to Zhao Wuji, then its body vanished, disappearing without a trace. Even Zhao Wuji could no longer detect it.

"As expected of the Dream Butterfly, an expert at running away. There's no trace of it at all." Zhao Wuji dragged the Heavy Armor Man-Bull out from among the Soul Beasts. Seeing it gradually break free of the Dream Butterfly's illusion, he clenched his hand into a fist and smashed it down on the bull's head, knocking it unconscious.

The other Soul Beasts gradually broke free from the Dream Butterfly's illusion, their eyes filled with confusion. But when they saw Zhao Wuji, they were startled by his powerful aura and fled one after another, disappearing into the depths of the Forest.

"Let's go. We'll leave this place first." Zhao Wuji lifted the Heavy Armor Man-Bull with one hand and spoke to Wang Xiaofeng.

"Alright, Teacher Zhao." Wang Xiaofeng silently sighed. Having a powerful expert help hunt Soul Beasts really was great.

Zhao Wuji took Wang Xiaofeng to an open clearing and set down the Heavy Armor Man-Bull. After carefully examining the length of its horns, his face soon clouded over and he let out a sigh.

"This Heavy Armor Man-Bull exceeds the age limit somewhat. It's already over eighteen hundred years old, so it isn't suitable for you. Let's choose another one."

"There's no need, Teacher Zhao." Wang Xiaofeng waved his hand. "This Heavy Armor Man-Bull is just right for me."

Seeing that Zhao Wuji was about to get angry and scold him, Wang Xiaofeng hurriedly explained, "You train me often, so you know the condition of my body. I'm already not far from where Mu Bai was before he absorbed his Third Soul Ring. And Heavy Armor Man-Bulls are relatively mild-tempered, so there won't be much pressure."

This was his first attempt at absorbing a Soul Ring beyond the age limit. If it went as he imagined, then he would be confident in absorbing an even higher-age Soul Ring for his Fourth Soul Ring.

Zhao Wuji looked deeply at Wang Xiaofeng. He knew this student possessed a stubbornness that would not turn back even after smashing his head against a wall.

"Fine. Since you've made your decision, stick with it."

Wang Xiaofeng nodded, took a dagger from his Soul Tool, and drove it directly into the Heavy Armor Man-Bull's vital spot.

Soon after, a Soul Ring interwoven with bright purple and golden yellow gradually appeared over the Heavy Armor Man-Bull's corpse.

Wang Xiaofeng skillfully sat down cross-legged and used his own Soul Power to draw in the Soul Ring.

Attracted by Wang Xiaofeng's Soul Power, the Soul Ring instantly settled around his body.

Feeling the surging Soul Power within the Soul Ring continuously battering his body, Wang Xiaofeng smiled. Now was the time to see the results of his grueling training.

He then calmed himself and began guiding the Soul Power within his body according to the Meditation Method.

Beneath the Purple Calabash phantom on the Calabash Vine in that mysterious space, the Purple Calabash phantom began drawing away the Soul Power within the Soul Ring. Slowly, a Yellow Calabash phantom grew from the Calabash Vine, and there was even excess Soul Power that made its form more solid.

However, the Yellow Calabash seemed unwilling to accept this Soul Power. It then began swaying to a peculiar rhythm, releasing the excess Soul Power.

Outside, Wang Xiaofeng absorbed the Soul Ring with great ease. Just as he had expected, there was not the slightest pain.

Just as he stabilized his Rank 30 Soul Elder realm, pain suddenly erupted throughout his body.

"Ah!"

Wang Xiaofeng let out a scream. His cross-legged body convulsed violently, his chest thrusting upward as his entire upper body arched back. The sight was terrifying.

Zhao Wuji was shocked. Hadn't the absorption already been completed? Could something have gone wrong?

At that moment, Wang Xiaofeng seemed to be enduring immense agony. Fine beads of blood began seeping out from beneath his skin, and his entire body convulsed violently.

The intense pain gradually overwhelmed Wang Xiaofeng's consciousness, but some unseen force protected his mind and kept him exceptionally lucid.

What kind of bullshit Golden Finger is this? It's trying to kill me!

Just as each day felt like a year to Wang Xiaofeng and he felt he was about to go mad, the pain receded like the tide.

"Hahaha, I actually endured it." Wang Xiaofeng, pale-faced and looking as though he had just been dragged out of water, laughed happily. "When we get back, I'll register as a Soul Elder at Spirit Hall and pay back that stingy old man's money."

"You really love causing trouble, kid. You nearly scared me to death." Seeing that Wang Xiaofeng was still in the mood to joke, Zhao Wuji finally relaxed.

Two yellow and one purple Soul Rings floated around Wang Xiaofeng's body, marking the end of this journey.

P.S. The Dream Butterfly's skill and name came from the novel Starting From Contracting a Spirit, by Bimo Zhijian. It's a very good novel.