Absorbing the Soul Ring

"Ding! Your Martial Soul soared freely through the sky. Overcome with exhilaration, it underwent a stage of evolution. Progress: 4/10."

Ye Feng only felt his body grow hot as the Martial Soul within him faintly became stronger.

"Well done, little sparrow. Keep it up—the evolution progress is almost past halfway."

Ye Feng silently cheered his Martial Soul on. At this rate, it would evolve very soon.

"Ding! Your Martial Soul heard your encouragement. It says: Life and death mean nothing. If you don't submit, then fight."

"Oh, it's quite the hothead." Ye Feng chuckled to himself.

Just as Ye Feng silently sensed the changes within his body, they arrived at Sunset Forest.

As the flying sword descended, an enormous primeval forest appeared before Ye Feng.

Seen from high above, the forest blanketed mountain range after mountain range. For a moment, it was impossible to tell where it ended.

After landing on the ground, massive trees with trunks requiring two or three adults to wrap their arms around could be seen everywhere. Vines and unknown flowers and grasses covered the ground, making the entire forest seem brimming with life.

"Sunset Forest doesn't seem to be as large as Star Dou Great Forest, does it? Sunset Forest is already this huge—just how big must Star Dou Great Forest, which is even larger, be?"

For a moment, Ye Feng became deeply interested in the world of Douluo Continent.

He thought that once he had enough strength in the future, he would definitely travel across all of Douluo Continent.

"Let's go in."

To Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo, Sunset Forest was like their own backyard. The two appeared extremely relaxed, completely ignoring the roars of various soul beasts coming from within the forest.

Ye Feng, on the other hand, was rather nervous. Whether in his previous life or this one, he had never seen anything like this.

Though he knew that with Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo by his side, his safety would definitely not be an issue, he was still nervous nonetheless.

Seeing Ye Feng's nervous expression, a hint of mischief flashed through Ning Fengzhi's eyes. That look was exactly the same as Ning Rongrong's impish gaze.

If Ye Feng had seen this, he would have known that Ning Rongrong's cleverness had been entirely inherited from her father.

In truth, Ning Fengzhi simply wanted to see Ye Feng embarrass himself.

After their brief time together, Ye Feng had given him the impression of a little adult. Even in front of him, the boy had remained remarkably calm.

So Ning Fengzhi's mischievous side surfaced, and he wanted to see Ye Feng looking so tense.

When Sword Douluo saw that familiar look in Ning Fengzhi's eyes, he silently kept his mouth shut, a look of anticipation appearing on his face as well.

Ye Feng knew nothing of any of this.

At the moment, he was closely following behind Ning Fengzhi, every muscle in his body taut as he feared that a soul beast might suddenly leap out from somewhere.

Fortunately, Ye Feng's worries did not come true.

With Chen Xin, a Titled Douluo, present, the soul beasts in the forest were extremely perceptive. They had long since sensed danger and did not dare show themselves at all.

After wandering through the forest for a while, Ning Fengzhi suddenly stopped and turned to Sword Douluo. "Uncle Jian, I'll have to trouble you."

Sword Douluo nodded and smiled. "Leave it to me."

As he spoke, Sword Douluo's figure flashed away. When he appeared again, he was holding a sparrow the size of a chicken in his hand.

"This is a Gale Sparrow. It has nearly four hundred years of cultivation, making it perfect for your first Spirit Ring."

Seeing Ye Feng's puzzled gaze, Sword Douluo explained.

"Among bird-type soul beasts, Gale Sparrows are considered quite fast."

"Since your Martial Soul is also a sparrow, after absorbing its Spirit Ring, you might obtain a pretty good soul skill," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile.

"What should I do?" Ye Feng asked.

"Kill it first. To absorb a Spirit Ring, you must kill the soul beast with your own hands."

"Once its Spirit Ring appears, use Martial Soul Possession, then use your Soul Power to draw the Spirit Ring into your body."

As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi somehow produced a gleaming silver dagger and handed it over.

Ye Feng took the dagger and nodded, stepping up to the motionless Gale Sparrow.

Although according to the Grandmaster's theory, the absorption limit for a first Spirit Ring was four hundred and twenty-three years, a limit meant danger. What normal person would listen to him...

Drawing the dagger, Ye Feng grabbed the Gale Sparrow by the head and cleanly slashed its neck. In an instant, its head was separated from its body.

A flicker of surprise crossed the eyes of Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi, who had been watching Ye Feng closely. They had not expected him to show no hesitation at all when facing a soul beast.

That crisp, decisive movement was as simple as killing a chicken.

This resolute display instantly earned him looks of approval from the two.

Those who wielded martial strength often defied restrictions; Spirit Masters were the same. Only the ruthless could live longer.

With just that simple action, Ye Feng's standing in Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi's hearts rose sharply.

Naturally, Ye Feng had no idea what Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were thinking. By then, he had already released his Martial Soul and activated Martial Soul Possession.

A pair of gray chicken claws appeared, looking exceptionally sharp.

Behind him, a pair of enlarged sparrow wings spread to nearly a meter wide. Yet they looked somewhat out of place on Ye Feng, and anyone with eyes could tell that these wings could not allow him to fly.

Once he completed Martial Soul Possession, a Yellow Spirit Ring condensed above the Gale Sparrow he had killed and began floating in the air.

Ye Feng circulated the Soul Power within his body. With a thought, the soul ring hovering in midair slowly drifted toward him before finally sinking into his body.

The next moment, Ye Feng felt an unfamiliar surge of Soul Power appear inside him, one that was extraordinarily violent.

Compared to his original Soul Power, it was like an unbridled wild horse, rampaging recklessly through his body.

"Quickly circulate your Soul Power... refine the soul ring." Ning Fengzhi's voice came from beside him.

Yet Ye Feng moved even faster than Ning Fengzhi spoke.

The moment Ning Fengzhi opened his mouth, Ye Feng had already plopped down onto the ground, closed his eyes, and begun refining it.

"Ding, your Meditation Method has joined the battle."

"Ding, your Meditation Method is leading Soul Power in battle against the Gale Sparrow's soul ring."

"Ding, your Meditation Method and the Gale Sparrow's forces are evenly matched, engaged in a brutal battle. Through actual combat, your Meditation Method's proficiency has increased significantly."

A string of notifications rang out beside Ye Feng's ears.

But he had no time to pay attention to them now. He was doing his utmost to circulate the Soul Power within his body, wholly focused on refining the soul ring.

Seeing Ye Feng refine the soul ring in such an orderly manner, Ning Fengzhi nodded in satisfaction.

In his view, Ye Feng not only possessed outstanding cultivation talent, but also a mature mind. At such a young age, he already thought like an adult.

Still, he lacked a little in life experience. But that was no great matter. At his age, he was already exceptionally outstanding.

Ning Fengzhi could not have been more satisfied with a disciple like Ye Feng. If Ye Feng had been his son, he might even have considered making him his heir.

Beside him, Sword Douluo looked at Ning Fengzhi with envy. He wanted such an outstanding disciple too!

What a pity, what a pity.

At that moment, Sword Douluo even had the urge to snatch the disciple away from Ning Fengzhi.

Such an exceptional child ought to be taught by him!