A Brush with Death, Tempering of the Heart

"Come on, you beast."

Su He gripped the dagger tightly in his right hand, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the black tiger cub across from him. His intense desire to survive ignited unparalleled willpower and courage in an instant, and he let out an angry roar to bolster himself.

"Let's see whether you beast dies today, or I do!"

"Roar!" The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger bared its fangs, watching Su He mockingly, as though it intended to torment its prey thoroughly before death.

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger knew that even if it won this battle, it would still be doomed. Thus, it only thought of how to torment Su He and make his death more agonizing to satisfy its desire for revenge.

"Come on, are you scared?" Su He continued provoking the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. "You have such a huge advantage in the Life-and-Death Arena, so why are you still hesitating like a coward?"

"Roar." The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger gave a low growl, utterly unconcerned by Su He's provocation.

In its eyes, this was merely Su He's final struggle before death.

What it did not know was that, as time passed, the paralysis on Su He's left side was gradually fading. Aside from the portion below his upper arm, his shoulder could already move normally.

Yet Su He still pretended that the paralysis had not worn off, searching diligently for an opportunity.

Su He knew that he was recovering, and so was the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. If it were given the chance to release Dark Demon Evil Lightning a second time, Su He would undoubtedly be doomed beyond redemption.

Both sides harbored their own schemes. Though they appeared to be peacefully facing each other, their hidden contest had never ceased.

Fortunately, although the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger had gained intelligence, with less than twenty thousand years of cultivation, its beastly nature had not yet faded. This would greatly hinder its judgment.

Finally, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger could no longer hold back. It, too, realized that Su He was recovering and decided to strike immediately, first completely crippling Su He's ability to resist before slowly tormenting him.

With a roar, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger lunged at Su He. Even during its pounce, its trajectory tilted slightly to the right. Clearly, it knew that Su He's left side was stiff and that he would certainly dodge to the right.

It had predicted Su He's evasive position in advance! Such intelligence was no small thing; the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's combat instincts were exceptional even among Soul Beasts.

But Su He had no intention of dodging. Instead, he did the opposite. With a twist of his body, he let the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's bite land squarely on his numb left arm, and the tiger pounced him to the ground.

The instant the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger bit down on Su He's left arm, Su He used all his strength to brace the tiger's head with his right hand. With a twist of his wrist, the sharp dagger repeatedly stabbed into the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's throat.

The tiger's eyes grew somewhat vacant as blood continuously spilled from its throat. Feeling its body gradually weaken and its Life Force rapidly drain away, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger let out an unwilling roar!

As a member of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger clan, its cultivation had always been a struggle against the heavens for destiny. To die before reaching its full potential—how could it accept that?

Using its last bit of strength, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger thrust the Evil God Hook on its tail toward Su He. Yet the moment it touched the skin on Su He's chest, it could not advance even an inch.

With the muscle density Su He had developed through training during childhood, the still-immature Evil God Hook lacked the power to break through his defenses.

Seeing that its final method had failed, the light in the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's pupils slowly faded.

It fell.

Su He had won this gamble of life and death, brushing past death itself by trading injury for injury.

If it had been the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger from the Original Work, with sixty thousand years of cultivation and fully matured intelligence, then Su He would certainly have been the loser in their contest. Fortunately, this Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's intelligence had not yet fully developed, allowing Su He to find an opening.

Looking at the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's corpse, Su He temporarily forgot the pain in his body. He slowly walked over and closed its wide-open tiger eyes.

"You are the strongest Soul Beast I've ever seen—intelligent, cold-blooded, and powerful," Su He said to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's corpse. "Thank you for teaching me this lesson. I have benefited greatly."

At this moment, Su He no longer viewed the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger as mere Spirit Ring Material, but as a true opponent.

A powerful and worthy opponent whom he had defeated by the narrowest margin in a gamble of life and death.

Su He had always been fortunate. Since birth, he had possessed a status beyond the reach of ordinary people, along with abundant, exceptional cultivation resources.

The elders of the Worship Hall had also protected him meticulously, and he had never encountered danger like this before. This wager between life and death had given Su He not only a Ten Thousand Year black Spirit Ring, but also growth in his character.

At the very instant he defeated the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, Su He felt deeply proud of his own courage.

As soon as he finished speaking, Su He felt the space around him continuously collapse. Brilliant light burst forth all around him, and when he opened his eyes again, he had returned to reality. He rose and examined his body, discovering that all the power restricted by the rules had returned.

Su He lay on the ground as the three elders beside him watched him anxiously. Nearby lay the enormous, lifeless body of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. A black Spirit Ring slowly emerged, while a bead mottled with cyan and gray glimmered within its corpse.

"Little He, you suddenly fainted for a few seconds just now. What happened?" Golden Crocodile Douluo asked worriedly.

Clearly, time flowed differently in the Life-and-Death Arena and the real world. Though Su He had endured a harrowing ordeal in the Life-and-Death Arena, only a few seconds had passed in reality.

"Teacher, there is no need to worry. I'm fine," Su He said with a weak smile. He stepped forward and removed the Evil God Pearl from the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's body, then told the three Titled Douluo powerhouses everything that had happened in the Life-and-Death Arena.

After listening, all three revealed lingering fear. If the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's unimaginable ability had been used on any one of them, they too might have died on the spot.

After briefly recovering his condition, Su He guided the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Spirit Ring and began absorbing it.

The absorption process was also the main event. Although Su He's current physical strength was already comparable to that of Soul Emperor and Soul Sage-level powerhouses, this was still his first time absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring, making it no small challenge for him.

The Jedi Golden Lion possessed him. The black Spirit Ring slowly descended from above Su He's head, carrying gray currents filled with all manner of negative emotions.

The instant the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Spirit Ring struck Su He's body, he tasted sweetness in his throat. Powerful energy battered his meridians, while within his sea of consciousness, an enraged Black Tiger roared unwillingly and wreaked havoc.

This was the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's final counterattack after death: Soul Shock.

Su He did not panic. He mobilized all his Spiritual Power and Soul Power, weaving them into a vast net that covered the sky and earth. A barrier formed around the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, preventing it from harming Su He's mind. Although his primary focus was the body, his Spiritual Power was no weaker.

Then, with a roar, the Jedi Golden Lion Martial Soul charged forward and began fighting the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.

The process of absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring for the first time was ultimately dangerous but uneventful, somewhat similar to when he had previously absorbed a five-thousand-year Spirit Ring beyond his level.

The absorption lasted roughly two hours. At last, the black Spirit Ring completely descended and became the Jedi Golden Lion's Fourth Spirit Skill.

Ten Thousand Year fourth ring, acquired!

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