Forcing Compliance

The middle-aged Soul Master paled in shock, then gave an awkward smile. "Your Highness, I already agreed to your conditions. Don't tease me."

"I'm not joking!" Dai Yao said solemnly.

Looking at Dai Yao's serious expression, the middle-aged Soul Master finally confirmed that he was not joking.

His Adam's apple bobbed. After a long while, he slowly said, "Your Highness, forgive me, but I cannot agree to your conditions."

"Aren't you afraid the Council of Elders will punish you?"

"Your Highness, compared to the punishment from the Council of Elders, your conditions frighten me even more." The middle-aged Soul Master explained, "You should know that the limit for a Soul Master's Second Spirit Ring is a little over seven hundred and sixty years. You want to absorb a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring. You'd simply be courting death."

"If I agree to your request, I'll become the murderer who caused your death. I can't bear the charge of murdering a prince."

In the ten thousand years of the Douluo Continent, no Soul Master had ever possessed a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring as their Second Spirit Ring, except for those who had participated in the God Exam and received God's Reward.

Absorbing a Spirit Ring required not only enduring the immense Soul Power impact from the Spirit Ring, but also withstanding the attacks of the soul beast's malevolent intent.

A One-Ring Soul Master simply lacked the physical constitution needed to absorb a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.

Dai Yao found himself in a difficult position. As a One-Ring Soul Master, he was completely incapable of hunting a thousand-year soul beast, let alone an Earth Walking Dragon renowned for its strength.

When he obtained his First Spirit Ring, he had been able to kill the seven-hundred-year-old Mystic Water Turtle for two reasons. First, the Mystic Water Turtle was not skilled at attacking. Second, through various coincidences, he had found an opportunity to shatter the Mystic Water Turtle's weakness.

Without the middle-aged Soul Master's help, he would be unable to obtain a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.

Even if he sought help from the Soul Masters of his family, they would never permit Dai Yao to absorb a thousand-year Spirit Ring. The middle-aged Soul Master had a weakness in Dai Yao's hands, so there was still some hope.

Dai Yao pressured him. "If you refuse, I'll report you to the Council of Elders for neglecting your duty and nearly causing the death of a prince. Once the Council of Elders blames you, your entire clan will surely be executed!"

The middle-aged Soul Master was completely unfazed. He snorted and retorted, "Compared to the charge of causing a prince's death, the punishment for my negligence is much lighter. Besides, I was stopped by an unfamiliar Soul Master at the time. Even if you want to punish me, you'll first have to find the Soul Master who stopped me!"

"Fourth Highness, if you want to throw your life away, don't drag me down with you!"

The situation immediately reached an impasse. No matter how Dai Yao pressured the middle-aged Soul Master, nothing worked, and Dai Yao could not think of a better solution.

He really won't yield to force or persuasion. Could it be that I can only obtain a Hundred-Year Spirit Ring? Bitterness filled his heart.

He sighed inwardly.

A white radiance burst from Dai Yao's body.

With Martial Soul Possession, a domineering tiger roar echoed through the mountains and forests.

The middle-aged Soul Master narrowed his eyes. "Your Highness, you aren't planning to use force against me, are you? I'm a Soul Ancestor!"

Dai Yao shook his head, his tone gentle. "No. I want to show you something."

"What?"

"My First Spirit Ring."

Looking at the yellow Spirit Ring circling Dai Yao, the middle-aged Soul Master gave a disdainful snort. "What's so strange about a Hundred-Year Spirit Ring?"

"Look carefully," Dai Yao reminded him.

The middle-aged Soul Master also realized something. Given how serious Dai Yao looked, he clearly was not making a fuss over nothing.

He walked over to Dai Yao and carefully examined the yellow Spirit Ring.

When he noticed the faint purple color contained within the yellow Spirit Ring, his eyes widened, and he cried out, "How many years old is this Spirit Ring of yours?!"

"Seven hundred years."

Those few simple words exploded in the middle-aged Soul Master's heart like a thunderclap.

Since ancient times, the limit for the First Spirit Ring had always been a little over four hundred and thirty years. No one had ever broken through that limit.

Yet now, a miracle had appeared right before him.

He stared blankly at Dai Yao, speechless for a long time. Only after a while did he rasp, "How did you do it?!"

"No comment. Do you believe now that I'm confident I can absorb a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring?"

"If I report you to the Council of Elders, you and your family will certainly die. But if you help me hunt a thousand-year soul beast, you'll have a chance of survival. You know how to choose, don't you?" Dai Yao said.

Dai Yao was not worried that the middle-aged Soul Master would use force to make him reveal the secret of absorbing a Limit-Breaking Spirit Ring.

After all, these Soul Masters were supported by the Star Luo Imperial Family. If the matter came to light, his entire clan would be buried alongside him.

More importantly, if Dai Yao successfully absorbed a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, everyone would learn this secret during his duel with Dai Yaming several days later.

The middle-aged Soul Master smiled bitterly. "It seems Your Highness had already planned everything. Since you've put it that way, what choice do I have?"

"Come with me."

The Star Luo Royal Beast Garden was divided into three areas.

Each area corresponded to a different soul beast.

They corresponded to the Mystic Water Turtle, Earth Walking Dragon, and Vajra Beast. These were the soul beasts hunted in succession by White Tiger Spirit wielders for their First Spirit Ring through Third Spirit Ring.

Because the age limit for the Third Spirit Ring was a little over seventeen hundred years, the oldest soul beasts in the Beast Taming Garden were only two thousand years old.

Earth Walking Dragons lived in Mountain Caves, where the terrain was uneven and difficult to traverse.

After traveling for several hours, they finally found an Earth Walking Dragon with a suitable age.

"Your Highness, we finally found one," the middle-aged Soul Master said tiredly.

He turned to look at Dai Yao, only to discover that Dai Yao's face was not flushed, nor was he breathing heavily. He still looked completely at ease, which filled him with alarm.

One had to know that he was a dignified Soul Ancestor. With the augmentation of several Spirit Rings, his physical constitution was far superior to that of a One-Ring Soul Master.

He was exhausted, yet Dai Yao, this One-Ring Soul Master, seemed completely at ease.

"What a monster. No wonder he dares to absorb a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring."

The middle-aged Soul Master sighed.

What he did not know was that the Green Lotus inside Dai Yao's body was radiating a faint azure light.

"Then let's begin," Dai Yao instructed.

As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful aura erupted from the middle-aged Soul Master's body. The resulting gale spread in all directions, sweeping up countless dead branches and fallen leaves and exposing the damp soil.

Four Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, yellow, and purple—shone with breathtaking brilliance.

Yet under such immense pressure, Dai Yao moved as though swimming, evading most of it. The remaining faint pressure could not harm him at all.

The results of his cultivation beneath the Three-Year Waterfall were revealed once again.

"What a monster!" the middle-aged Soul Master exclaimed again.

Having been pressured by Dai Yao all along, he was harboring some resentment. He had wanted to embarrass Dai Yao with his immense pressure when releasing his Spirit Rings, but he had never expected Dai Yao to remain as calm and composed as ever.

The powerful aura also awakened the Earth Walking Dragon from its slumber.

A solemn dragon roar echoed from the cave. Immediately afterward, a ferocious behemoth emerged.

A Thousand-Year Earth Walking Dragon!