Tuoba Yan walked over to the Golden Armor Tihun Chicken, grabbed one of its wings in one hand, and seized the crest atop its head.
Then, he took a dagger from his Storage Soul Guide Device and swiftly slit the Golden Armor Tihun Chicken's throat. Before long, the twitching Golden Armor Tihun Chicken stopped moving, and a purple soul ring floated up from its corpse.
Next, Tuoba Yan took out his Horse Talisman and handed it to Tuoba Xi.
Finally, he sat down cross-legged as a yellow hundred-year soul ring descended from above his head.
Behind him stood a green upright phantom with a human body and a dragon's head.
The girl's father blurted out, "A mutated martial spirit!"
A mutated martial spirit either mutated into something powerful or something weak. There was no other possibility.
Tuoba Yan tossed the Horse Talisman to Tuoba Xi.
Without the Horse Talisman, the Saint Martial Spirit changed from its humanoid form into the form of a coiling stone statue.
The other three watched in amazement.
A wisp of Soul Power drifted from Tuoba Yan's palm.
As though summoned by Tuoba Yan, the purple soul ring floated toward him and rapidly enveloped him.
In an instant, Tuoba Yan felt as if his entire body had entered a world of purgatory.
The place was filled with rocks.
The ground was golden-yellow, and so was the sky. If not for the immense gravity, it would have been impossible to tell heaven from earth.
The thick energy gleamed gold.
It did not resemble dense fog, but golden flames.
Standing within it felt like being roasted inside an Eight Trigrams Furnace.
The golden energy seemed to have found an outlet. It seeped into Tuoba Yan's body through his pores.
"Ah!"
The scorching energy made Tuoba Yan cry out in pain. His features twisted, frightening him into hurriedly using the Holy Dragon Meditation Method.
Under the guidance of his will, his Innate Soul Power carried the energy that had entered his body through his meridians.
The golden energy was like an untamed wild horse, relentlessly battering against the walls of Tuoba Yan's blood vessels.
At that moment, the effects of his soul bone and the Whale Rubber came into play.
Under the energy's assault, the walls of his blood vessels stubbornly withstood its tyrannical impact.
There was also that terrifying gravity. It was as if countless hands were reaching out from underground, trying to tear Tuoba Yan's body apart.
As he absorbed the golden energy, Tuoba Yan discovered that his martial spirit and muscles were becoming increasingly swollen, brimming with a sense of power.
The girl's parents were shocked by what they saw.
The girl's father exclaimed, "Senior, your grandson only has one soul ring?"
Tuoba Xi asked, "What about it?"
The girl's father pointed at the purple soul ring around Tuoba Yan and said, "The soul ring he is absorbing is five thousand years old!"
"What are you trying to say?"
"Senior, absorbing a soul ring beyond one's level can cause the body to explode and die."
The girl's father wanted to warn Tuoba Xi. The soul ring Tuoba Yan was absorbing far exceeded the limit for a soul master absorbing a second soul ring.
He even wanted to ask whether Tuoba Yan was truly Tuoba Xi's biological grandson.
Faced with the warning, Tuoba Xi replied calmly, "I have faith in him."
The girl's father sighed.
Only the girl remained silent, her gaze fixed on Tuoba Yan. Her bright eyes shone as if she had discovered some secret.
A minute later, Tuoba Yan opened his eyes and rose from the ground.
The girl's parents exchanged looks.
One was a Soul Emperor, and the other was a Soul Sage. Both possessed ten-thousand-year soul rings.
An ordinary soul master needed at least five hours to absorb a thousand-year soul ring. Conservatively speaking, absorbing a five-thousand-year soul ring should take at least half a day. Yet Tuoba Yan had only taken one minute.
"So fast?"
The girl's father was astonished.
Tuoba Xi ignored him. Already used to this, he asked, "Yan'er, quickly tell me. What soul skill did you gain?"
"Levitation."
"Levitation?"
"My second soul skill can make objects float, including other people and myself. It is a support-type soul skill."
As he spoke, Tuoba Yan activated his soul skill. His entire body was dyed purple by his second soul ring. A golden glow drifted out of the Chicken Charm and enveloped him. With a light tap of his toes, Tuoba Yan floated into the air.
"Golden Armor Tihun Chicken... levitation..." Tuoba Xi murmured. His deep eyes studied Tuoba Yan before he noticed the other three outsiders present and nodded. "It seems you inherited the Golden Armor Tihun Chicken's Floating Technique. All right, you have obtained your soul ring. It is time for us to return!"
At that moment, the girl walked up to Tuoba Yan, clasped her hands behind her back, and introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Shui Bing'er. Nice to meet you."
"Shui Bing'er?"
Tuoba Yan was startled inwardly.
The little girl before him was actually Shui Bing'er of Skywater Academy, who possessed the Ice Phoenix Martial Spirit.
Shui Bing'er was no ordinary person. Her martial spirit was the Ice Phoenix.
The current Douluo Continent had no concept of ultimate attributes. Shui Bing'er's Soul Power attribute was ultimate ice.
During the Soul Master Tournament, Shui Bing'er had once beaten Tang San so badly that he doubted his life and wanted to cultivate the Clear Sky Hammer ahead of time.
Tuoba Yan smiled. "Hello, my name is Tuoba Yan. Nice to meet you. Thanks to your father's kindness in giving the Golden Armor Tihun Chicken to me, I have a gift for you."
As he spoke, Tuoba Yan took Shui Bing'er's hand and led her away from the three adults.
When they reached a clump of bushes and stopped, Tuoba Yan noticed tear tracks on Shui Bing'er's face. Tears slid down her cheeks from her eyes.
Tuoba Yan froze and asked with concern, "Why are you crying?"
"You touched my hand."
"Uh, you're crying just because I touched your hand?"
"My mother said that will make babies."
"Huh?"
Tuoba Yan clicked his tongue inwardly. He had never expected Shui Bing'er to be crying because she thought holding hands would make them have a baby.
Shui Bing'er sniffled softly. "I'm still so little. I don't want to be a mother. Wuwuwu~"
"Uh~"
Tuoba Yan scratched the back of his head.
Shui Bing'er was still young, looking no older than seven.
Tuoba Yan thought that Shui Bing'er's mother had taught her this to make her keep herself pure, worried that she might be led astray by boys with bad intentions.
Resting his hand beneath his chin, Tuoba Yan said, "How about this? A woman carries a baby for ten months. If you really have a baby a year from now, then I will reluctantly be the child's father. All right?"
"You have to keep your word."
"Everyone knows I always keep my promises."
Tuoba Yan stretched out his hand and guiltily rubbed a finger against his nostril.
He did not want to continue discussing such a childish topic with Shui Bing'er.
Touching his storage ring with one hand, he willed it into action and took out two dark-yellow objects the size of fists from his Storage Soul Guide Device.
"Whale Rubber?"
Shui Bing'er blurted out, "The gift you want to give me is Whale Rubber?"
Before you continue