First Soul Ring

Drip, drip.

Blood trickled down Gu You's left hand, dripping from his fingertips onto the ground.

Behind him, Tang San stood frozen with a dagger in hand, ready to throw it. Su Yuntao, who had just climbed out of the stream and was about to rush forward, and Ma Xiunuo, who was holding an Iron Rod and preparing to help, were equally stunned. No one had expected the battle to end so quickly.

Hunting Wolf had died an unjust death. It had never expected the smallest-looking human cub, the one reeking of fear, to completely change after turning into a giant lizard-man. Its contempt had led it to make the wrong choice.

It had held an absolute advantage in speed and agility, yet it chose to dance on a knife's edge. Having lived in the Spirit Beast Forest for years, Hunting Wolf knew well that a human's strength was linked to the number of rings around their body. The more rings they had, the stronger they were. After narrowly defeating the human with two rings, all that remained was an old human and two cubs. As long as it stayed cautious, victory should have been certain.

But Hunting Wolf had never imagined the gap between a Top-Tier Martial Soul and an ordinary Martial Soul could be so vast. A level-twenty, two-ring Soul Grandmaster with an ordinary Lone Wolf Martial Soul could not even match a level-ten Spirit Scholar with a Top-Tier Beast Martial Soul in strength.

That single difference caused Hunting Wolf to misjudge the situation and become a Soul Ring.

Tang San was stunned because he had never expected Gu You to perform so brilliantly in battle. The six-year-old Tang San had known Gu You for five years, and he knew very well that Gu You had no understanding of how to fight, unlike himself, who came from the Tang Sect.

So when Gu You charged forward, Tang San panicked. He immediately drew every dagger on his body, gripping one between each pair of fingers, ready to rush in and cover Gu You until Su Yuntao and Ma Xiunuo could join the fight.

But the result was completely different from what Tang San had expected. In less than ten breaths, Gu You had disemboweled a Hundred-Year Soul Beast that could send a Soul Grandmaster flying. (Su Yuntao: That's enough.)

Meanwhile, Su Yuntao and Ma Xiunuo were shocked by the power of Gu You's Martial Soul.

Having participated in Soul Hunting many times and being Soul Grandmasters themselves, they knew better than anyone how troublesome Hundred-Year Soul Beasts were. Yet such a beast had been dealt with in just a few breaths by a Spirit Scholar who had only just awakened his Martial Soul and received no combat training at all.

"Xiao You, are you all right?" Tang San asked worriedly when he saw Gu You standing there without moving.

The anger in Gu You's heart slowly faded, and reason once again took the high ground.

Looking at the wolf corpse with a huge hole torn through its abdomen, then at the still-warm blood on his chest and hands, Gu You felt neither the nausea nor the urge to vomit he had imagined. Instead, he was remarkably calm, as if he had long grown accustomed to doing this countless times. Not a single ripple stirred in his heart.

His Martial Soul Possession faded. Gu You took a deep breath, and the stench of blood flowed through his nose into his lungs.

"Cough, cough... I'm fine. Cough, cough." Gu You turned and waved at the three of them. "Brother Tao, are you all right?"

Su Yuntao also released his Martial Soul Possession and walked ashore. "I'm fine. My clothes are just wet. I need to change into another set."

Ma Xiunuo said to Gu You, "Xiao You, wash up in the stream, then go absorb the Soul Ring."

Gu You nodded. After washing away the blood, he walked over to the wolf corpse and sat down cross-legged in front of it.

Looking at Hunting Wolf's wide-open eyes, Gu You said silently, I'm sorry, but I need strength.

"Xiao You, calm your mind. After using Martial Soul Possession, slowly release your Soul Power, and the Soul Ring will fly toward you."

Gu You closed his eyes. His body changed once more, and his tail emerged, but unlike during battle, the carapace of the Ultimate Conductor Tyranno did not appear across his body in large patches. It merely covered his chest, back, and shoulders, while the claws on both hands did not extend.

"Focus on your Martial Soul. There'll be some mental pressure in a moment. Endure it, and you'll become an official Soul Master."

Hearing this, Gu You calmed himself. His consciousness slowly sank, as though ocean currents were dragging him toward the abyss beneath the sea.

Seeing Gu You absorb the Soul Ring, Ma Xiunuo and Su Yuntao immediately began setting up a tent around him. Once it was finished, Su Yuntao covered it with leaves from the ground, leaving only a small opening for ventilation, while Ma Xiunuo scattered some powder in a circle around it.

After finishing, Ma Xiunuo told Tang San, "A Soul Master cannot be casually interrupted while absorbing a Soul Ring. If the absorption is interrupted, the lighter consequence is failed advancement and a slight loss of Soul Power. In severe cases, the Martial Soul may be damaged, and one's cultivation will never advance again."

"That's why Soul Master Teams are formed when obtaining Soul Rings. While one person absorbs a Soul Ring, the others protect him."

"We only have two Soul Grandmasters right now, so we need to use some methods to protect the person absorbing the Soul Ring. Covering the tent with leaves can reduce the light emitted by the Soul Ring at night while also concealing our figures and scent."

"The powder I scattered is a special powder from Spirit Hall. Most Soul Beasts dislike its smell, and it can also conceal the scent of blood, driving Soul Beasts away. It lasts for six hours and lowers the chance of Soul Beasts coming near this area."

"Xiao San, with your and Gu You's talent, along with Gu You's lofty ideals, you will surely venture into the Forbidden Zone of Life in the future. These little tricks can at least give you time to rest there, recover some strength, and survive more easily."

Tang San nodded, thanked Ma Xiunuo for his guidance, and silently committed every word to memory.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu You seemed to see a light before him. When he opened his eyes, he saw a massive head facing him, a pair of golden vertical pupils staring directly into his own.

"Roar—" The head opened its jaws and let out a roar. Gu You felt as if a rope were yanking him backward through the air. In a daze, he seemed to see an entire world of dinosaurs: Pterosaurs soaring through the sky, Brachiosauruses breaking free from glaciers, Triceratopses emerging from the desert, Tyrannosaurs standing upon lava, and many other dinosaurs of all kinds, though smaller in size. Standing in the center was the one that had just roared—their king, the Ultimate Conductor Tyranno.

In the darkness, a pair of golden vertical pupils suddenly opened, and a yellow Soul Ring began to glow.

Bang!

"What happened?" The three of them, who had been chatting, turned toward the tent. The leaves covering it all flew into the air as a hand lifted the tent flap.

"I succeeded." Gu You emerged with a confident smile.

"Your eyes..." Tang San and the other two stared at Gu You in alarm and uncertainty.

Even without Martial Soul Possession, Gu You's eyes still had golden vertical pupils. The sight frightened all three of them.

Gu You closed his eyes, then opened them again. His pupils had returned to black. Smiling, he said, "It's nothing. I just became a Soul Master, and the increase in Soul Power is still a little hard to control."

Gu You looked at his right hand, spread it open, then clenched it tightly. "I obtained the Soul Skill that suits me best."

Everyone can guess what its effect is. No prize if you get it right, though. (Laughs.)

My god, he only got his first Soul Ring in chapter twenty-six. My protagonist might be the most embarrassing Douluo protagonist on all of Qidian. The new ac03 dinosaur cards are pretty good—they can search Dragonic Diagram, and True King of All Calamities flying out of the Extra Deck feels amazing. The King of Rollovers' new cards seem pretty useless, though.

As always, please send recommendation votes, favorites, and monthly tickets. Thank you, everyone.